Duality
by McMahonHelmsleyEraFan
Summary: Every good girl has a bad side. After marrying Hunter, Stephanie thought she had hers under control. She was wrong. This one starts a bit slow but stick with it and I guarantee you'll see a unique plot come of it
1. Fed Up

I got the idea for this from my fic entitled "One" a few years ago, that flopped so I didn't continue it. I'm approaching it verrrry differently and am starting in the middle of the problem, rather than at the very beginning, you could say. I've got a couple more chapters penned on this but if the reception is bad I'll either post the remaining chapters and leave it hanging...or just convert this to a one-shot. Hope you all enjoy! It's kind of trippy...lol

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><p>Her heels clacked against the tiled floor as she made her way through the arena. She sighed softly, reaching up to push back her long, curled hair. Why did her life have to be so damn boring? If she was able to live with even the slightest bit of excitement, maybe this wouldn't be necessary.<p>

"But noooo," she droned to herself out loud. Daddy's little princess just had to live up to her family's expectations for conservatism, chastity and silence.

No more.

That's what she had decided. She'd had quite enough of this crap and would be damned if she lived like this another day.

Where had it gotten her anyway? Knocked down and stepped on, that's what. She'd been all but auctioned off to the highest bidder in one of her father's business dealings during her childhood. As an adult, she'd been mostly banished to the corporate office where no one could see or hear her. Once her father was ready to allow her to join the rest of her family on their tour of the world, she'd been used strategically, in the games of chess her father played with his roster.

The WWF wasn't like any company she had ever known of. You couldn't just run around beating up and disrespecting your employees without being sued. Likewise, your employees couldn't do that to you, without administrative action taking place at the very least.

No, her father couldn't just fire unruly employees and go on with life. He had to scheme, plot and manipulate to get even. And he was willing to do so, using his own daughter, if he deemed it necessary. To make matters worse, she was never apprised of the plan. She was just as blindsided as everyone else. And emotionally hurt, on top of it.

And how did the Perfect Princess respond to such harsh, uncaring treatment? What was the best way she sought revenge? Defying her family's snobby orders by dating Andrew "Test" Martin.

Whoop de doo. The man wasn't exactly the most badass in the business. Everything about him was mediocre except his height and weight. Other than that he had average wrestling talent, intelligence, personality and looks.

But he did have guts. Because he was using her to climb the corporate ladder, one could say. She'd overheard a conversation that clearly indicated that. It wasn't a horrible idea on his part. But he never should've pretended to actually be in love with her.

She'd had enough of the deceit and unsuccessful revenge plots and decided she could do much better than this in terms of rebellion.

Her tall, toned, petite frame rounded the corner and she stopped outside the door. She laughed ruefully; she was actually nervous. That was something that rarely happened, if ever. She raised her slender hand and knocked.

"Come in," the low, gravelly, masculine voice invited.

Her tongue inched out to lick her lips and she found her confidence. She turned the knob and pushed open the door, biting her lip at the sight in front of her.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley stood a short distance from her, his amazing body clad in just a towel. She tilted her head and watched the beads of water as they dripped from his hair, leaving a trail down his neck, shoulders, chest and abs before disappearing into the thick, white cloth.

"Well, well, well," he said, thoroughly entertained. "To what do I owe this visit, Miss Stephanie McMahon?"

"I have a proposition for you," she said, with a devilish grin.

Her life was about to change. She'd make damn sure of that.


	2. The Agreement

Hey all! Thanks so much for the reviews on chapter 1, you guys are awesome! What you're about to read actually wasn't the original chapter 2 I had planned...I had intended to skip forward to one year into the marriage. But, I figured I'd give you guys what you wanted - to see her be super evil. Also, this fic will for the most part have shorter chapters than the other stories I've written. Part of that is because we all know what happened on screen (and b/c it's far too much work to go find the original scenes and type them out). If an opportunity for a longer chapter presents itself as I go along, I'll definitely do it, though. Hope you enjoy this, let me know!

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><p>Hunter paced in his locker room, rubbing his beard as he thought Stephanie's idea through. He stopped and held up his index finger. "So let me see if I'm understanding you," he began. "You dated Test to get back at your family, but now that they approve there's no point? You want to raise the stakes, so to speak, by secretly marrying me and revealing it at your wedding…to Test?"<p>

"Close enough," she shrugged.

He frowned. "What did I miss?"

"Oh, nothing much," she said casually, picking imaginary lint from her below the knees length, black skirt. She tried not to grimace at the material that was covering up legs that otherwise begged to be touched. She would definitely have to revamp the wardrobe. "Just the part where we humiliate them - Vince especially - to the point where they tuck their tails and run."

"Leaving us in charge," he finished, smiling. "That's right," he recalled playfully.

_Actually, the only one who's really going to benefit from this is me_, she thought cruelly. _All I want is the power. After I've achieved that, I won't need you anymore_. "Exactly," she agreed.

"How convincing do you want our marriage to look?"

Truly caught off guard at the question, she arched a finely shaped eyebrow. "Come again?"

"Wouldn't actually acting like a real married couple be the best way to piss your family off?"

"So you want to mix business and pleasure?" She purposefully eyed the spot where he'd bound the towel together to keep from exposing himself. Not that she had any intention to make good on any sexual innuendo she threw his way. This was strictly a business deal. It would keep things simple for when she decided his help was no longer necessary.

Hunter threw his head back and laughed. He had no idea that the virtuous Stephanie McMahon was truly vindictive until a mere ten minutes prior. Now he knew that she wasn't all that much of a prude, either. This was fun. He'd pegged her so very incorrectly over the last year. What a treat it was to see this side of her. And to be the only one besides the woman herself, that knew about it. He couldn't wait to see how the McMahon family and the world reacted to this hidden personality.

He wagged his finger from side to side. "Mixing business with pleasure is not smart business," he said lightly. "But I do think some newlywed-style kisses and touchy-feely in front of the cameras would be useful."

"Go on," she said, the intrigue dripping from her voice. Maybe Hunter would be more useful than she thought. She knew that the man was no idiot, but he had obviously picked up on a detail that she hadn't even thought of. Guess her haste to get the ball rolling stopped her from thinking about the particulars.

"Your family won't be all that pissed if they knew we were only doing this to tick them off. If it looks like there's something romantic between us…it adds to that humiliation factor."

"I agree." She nodded her head. "That's a solid idea. I'm impressed, actually."

Hunter buffed his nails against his chest and pulled his still wet hair from his face.

She watched the movement of his muscles as he did so, shamelessly. Her physical attraction to him was undeniable. And his somewhat arrogant attitude wasn't helping matters; it was making her want him more.

"Well, I've got to earn my keep around you somehow. This plan is brilliant."

"Thank you, thank you very much," she boasted in a voice that was a blatant Elvis impersonation.

"It's so brilliant, that I bet you thought I'd be so awed that I wouldn't realize the gamble I was taking on you." He smiled at the fractional widening of her eyes.

_Well, yeah_, she thought, before inwardly cursing herself for her stupidity. She spread her hands in front of her, beckoning for peace while she tried to convince him she had no such intentions. "Hunter. We'll be married and the sole heirs of this company once we get rid of them. We'll be able to do whatever we want. This plan won't fail. I don't see how that's a gamble. It's a pure win."

Hunter smirked. _Nice try, Princess_. "Until you get what you want, anyway. After that I'm sure you'd work your magic, get out of our marriage and leave me hanging in the wind. Seeing the look on Vince's face when we force him out will be great. But, it's not nearly enough for me to do this, unfortunately."

Deciding to stop playing coy, she simply asked. "So what do you want?"

"My shot at the title."

"Done.

"Ah, ah, ah" he said, shaking his head at her immediate response. She didn't yet understand that he intended to modify her plan to his liking and in a way that ensured she wouldn't screw him over. "Here's how it's going to play out, Stephanie. I'll marry you and we'll reveal it when you're at the altar with Andy boy. Except, we'll make it look like I forced you into it. That'll get Daddy so riled up and I'm sure he'll want to find a way to fix things for his little girl."

Picking up on his train of thought, she murmured, "A fair shot at the title versus having an annulment."

"Exactly."

Breaking out of her admiration for his intelligence and cunning, she looked up at him. "And I should give in to these demands because?"

He walked over to the couch and crouched in front of her. "I'm your best shot at pulling this off and you'd be too worried I'd tattle on you."

She twisted her mouth and contemplated briefly. Finally she shrugged, deciding that his conditions were reasonable. "Fair enough."

Hunter grinned at her wickedly. "I look forward to doing business with you."

With that he leaned back and rose from his crouched position. The towel fell from his body and she sat frozen and staring. He looked down and said, "Oops," before whistling a random tune while he walked completely naked to the bathroom.

The closing of the bathroom door snapped her out of her trance. She got up from the couch and exited the room.

She figured she had no right to be mad at his amendments to their agreement. Either way, she would still come out on top and at best he would have a title that he could be beaten for at any time. Still, she just wasn't sure if he had been the best pick for what she needed done. She wanted someone that was easier to manipulate. _Can't have everything_, she thought and dismissed the thought entirely.

This might turn out to be more interesting than she originally intended. It certainly didn't hurt that he was definite eye-candy.


	3. Another Battle Lost

Thanks for the reviews on this one so far! Here's ch 3!

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><p>Stephanie sat in her parents' hotel suite on the living room couch. Everyone was here; Linda, Vince, Shane, Andrew and the wedding planner. She found herself unable to concentrate because she had no idea how she got here. It was almost as if she had lost a chunk of time. But, that hadn't happened since she'd graduated college. And by the way that no one had questioned her words or actions, it was clear that no harm had been done.<p>

_So this must be different_, she thought. It was one thing for her to lose control in college, but now that she was a full-fledged adult she had to maintain some semblance of professionalism and maturity all the time. She'd had to beg, plead and persuade her Mom and Dad to let her start traveling and appearing on screen like they had allowed Shane to. She wouldn't screw up that opportunity, lest she be returned to the corporate office doing grunt work.

Perhaps the hit to her head a month ago and the subsequent amnesia were screwing with her head. Her short-term memory had been awful for an entire month and she felt like she was living in some dreamlike state. But it was very interesting that as soon as the doctors informed her parents that there was no medical reason why she was having these problems, things had gone back to normal the very next day.

"What do you think, Steph?" Her mother asked, suddenly breaking her from her thoughts.

Quizzically, she leaned over and looked at the sheet of various napkin print styles in front of her. She pointed to a picture on the glossy paper. "I like the one with two hearts intertwined." The pattern was cute and was sort of designed like a Venn diagram.

Linda shook her head. "I like the diagonal ringlet of circles. It's simple and elegant. The hearts," her mother visibly cringed. "Well, it's just too juvenile looking for my taste."

Stephanie heaved out a sigh. "Whatever you want, Mom." She was getting tired of this crap. Why did her mother even bother asking what she wanted? Just to shoot the idea down? If she wanted to plan the entire wedding right down to the last detail that was fine. But, it was frustrating to have to go through the charade of pretending that she really had a say on anything.

Her mother gave an incredulous laugh as if her daughter was being utterly ridiculous. "Sweetheart, it's your wedding," Linda urged gently. "Pick what you like."

Thoughts of all the shopping trips where she ultimately didn't get a single thing she wanted, flashed through her mind. Everything she preferred, Linda haughtily dismissed it. It's not that the things Stephanie picked out weren't attractive or appropriate; they were. Her Mom simply just thought her wedding should be...extremely conservative, so to speak. If she was a fifty year old woman on her third or fourth marriage and wanted everything to be boring and formal, throwing romance and passion out of the window entirely, then Linda's ideas would be right up her alley. But, that wasn't the case at all. Unable to beat back her annoyance at this entire process, she arched a brow. "Is this my wedding, Mom? Every aspect has been hand-picked by you. My dress, the date, the location, the damn china for the reception!"

"Watch your tone, Stephanie Marie! And do not use that kind of language with your mother," Vince reprimanded from across the room.

She acknowledged her father's comments with a somber nod towards her mother. "I'm sorry I disrespected you, Mom. But, I don't see _me _in this wedding. It's all you."

Linda laughed loudly. "That's because you're a part of me. I halfway created you, Stephanie. If you made better choices on these details, I wouldn't have to intervene."

_That's not the point! It's my wedding! It should be what I want, whether you think it's a bad decision or not! _She drew her bottom lip in and bit down, waiting for the anger to pass.

"Mom knows what's best Steph," Shane threw in from beside their father. His wide, brown eyes made her feel just like a little girl again. Like he was trying to convince her to behave to keep them out of trouble.

The wedding planner, Lisa, remained totally silent at the family spat happening in front of her and busied herself by jotting down today's selections. It was always like this. But, seeing as it was Stephanie's parents signing her checks, she was in no position to argue with them. It was a saving grace that none of the McMahon family members ever asked what her personal opinion on anything she presented was. The fact of the matter was that she would often side with the bride-to-be. Though this account was bringing in big money for her, she couldn't be more happy that it was almost over. There was only a week left until the wedding.

Stephanie moved her gaze over to Andrew. As soon as their eyes locked, he suddenly rubbed the top of his head, crinkled his brow in confusion and looked up to the ceiling. His failure to back her up or at least pitch in an idea of his own during their entire engagement was already irritating enough. He had been such a coward and now it was being compounded by the fact that he couldn't even look her in the eyes while he left her to fend for herself. Instead, he was pretending as if something magically and randomly fell on his head from above.

At this moment, she wished she had the power to make him hear her thoughts. They were chanting that he was a jerk.

Her mother reached over and patted her knee affectionately. Linda cheerfully declared, "She'll go with the circle pattern, Lisa."

_Another battle lost, _Stephanie thought. But, she was determined not to sulk. She decided she'd force herself to eat her temper and go along with whatever they said. For now, at least. The sooner this ceremony was over, the sooner she could really start living her life.


	4. The Wedding

Since Stephanie originally approached Hunter with her plan, they'd had very little contact. That was to be expected. There was really no reason for them to speak until the night before her wedding to Test. On top of being unnecessary, it was also dangerous. They couldn't risk anyone finding out that they were even civil with each other, let alone in cahoots.

So, Hunter had continued to bother her and her family and Stephanie had continued to pretend to loathe the very ground he walked on. If he had learned anything, it was to never believe a damn thing she said. She played her part very well and seamlessly transitioned from the sweet, angelic Daddy's girl to the evil, vengeful woman who planned to overthrow the entire company.

She didn't seem to be bothered or slip up when she was speaking and behaving as her nice girl image called for. The fact that even her own family couldn't tell that something very serious was up with her was a testament for how good she truly was. The people that have known her for her entire life could be easily fooled, so where did that leave those that she wasn't as well acquainted with? Clearly, she was more than capable of plotting right under someone's nose, while smiling in their face as if she adored them. It was a little scary in a way.

But, it was also useful. If he should so happen to give any thought to turning this into anything other than a business arrangement, he would remind himself of these simple traits of hers.

_Wow, she's a really great actor, _Hunter thought to himself as he watched a torrent of tears trail down Stephanie's face after he strongly implied that they had consummated their marriage while she was drugged. Nothing could have been farther from the truth. The last drink that she was shown having at her bachelorette party was actually nonalcoholic. She'd been completely conscious during their drive-thru marriage ceremony but pretended otherwise to fool the world into thinking that this wasn't exactly what she had wanted.

Afterwards, he had dropped her off down the street from her hotel. Because it was the eve of her wedding, Vince had booked his little girl in a more lavish, totally separate hotel from him and everyone else. It was at least a mile and a half away from anyone who would recognize them, but they hadn't wanted to take any chances. He had driven past her resort and rounded the corner. He'd pulled into a parking space at the first random motel he saw and let her out there. Even though he figured she would be relatively safe walking down the Las Vegas strip, he wanted to be a gentleman and make sure. The round-the-clock traffic on Las Vegas Blvd allowed him to see her just fine while she made the short journey.

"I hate you!" She yelled at him from the ring through her wailing and sobs.

He merely laughed at her fake-hysterics before walking off the stage and to the back. The woman deserved an Oscar for her performance. And he deserved some type of award for having the ingenious idea to pretend as if this wasn't all planned beforehand. The look of total and complete hatred Vince gave him while he held his secretly scheming daughter was just what he had been aiming for. There was no way the old man would let this fly. Soon enough, he knew that the Chairman would be willing to barter something – anything, for his daughter to be released from their marriage.

After clearing the scene in the ring, the wedding party made its way backstage. As soon as they were clear of the curtains, everyone started talking all at once, making Stephanie the unwilling center of a gigantic circle that ended up being formed.

Stephanie didn't hear most of the conversations; she was too consumed with her own thoughts. But, occasionally she got a reassuring hug, shoulder squeeze or sympathetic pat on the back. Some faces looked angry, some looked sad and some were a unique mixture of both.

The crowd parted and widened, leaving her face to face with her father. His face was beet red and his chest was heaving. "How could you let this happen, Stephanie?" His booming voice shouted at her.

Her mouth parted in shock and her watery eyes widened. "I was _drugged._"

He stepped closer to her. "I don't care if you were clubbed over the head and dragged off by that – that caveman! You should be smarter than to leave yourself vulnerable to either of those positions."

This wasn't the place to cause a scene, but her father had already done that anyway. So, she couldn't help her sarcastic reply. "I really don't see how I'd have to be in a 'vulnerable' state to be knocked out with a weapon. The use of the weapon means I was up and about."

"It was hypothetical! Don't get sassy with me!"

"I'm just trying to point out how ridiculous you sound. You can't possibly blame me for taking a drink at _my _private bachelorette party from a bartender you and Mom chose."

Vince raised his eyebrows, but lowered his voice. "So I'm to blame?"

She shook her head. "No. No one is, except Triple H. This is his fault."

He pointed a finger at her sternly. "You're damn right it is. This wedding cost me a small fortune! I might not get my money back, but he will pay for this."

Stephanie chuckled bitterly. "That's all this is to you, Dad? Dollars wasted? The fact that he ruined my wedding and claims to have made me his unconscious sex toy means nothing to you?"

He dismissed her implication by sucking his teeth and turning his head to the side briefly. "Of course it does. Don't be stupid," he hissed out.

She threw both arms in the air in frustration. "I've had it with your insults! I'm the victim here and instead of being there for me, you're just shouting at me and making it worse," she cried out frantically.

Vince sighed and reached an arm out to her. She flinched away from him, screwing up her face in disgust. "Steph..." he started.

No longer caring about maintaining composure in front of the group of onlookers, she let the tears flow freely. Her intake of breath was shaky. "I need some time to myself," she said.

Not particularly giving a damn whether or not her father agreed with that idea, she gathered up her wedding dress, clutching the material in her hands tightly. She gave her Dad one final disappointed glance before turning around and escaping down the hallway to the room she had gotten dressed in.

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><p>Bare with me. LOL. These first few chapter are pretty much to detail what was going on with Steph behind the scenes. The good stuff (i.e. interactions with Hunter in their marriage) are coming soon and things will start to get VERY strange. Stay tuned!<p> 


	5. Execution

This one, I decided to get out sooner rather than later for miss Jess! I'd say about half of this chapter is fueled by my ideas. Things like what they were thinking during the match at Armageddon, what Vince/Steph were thinking when she was telling him off, etc. The rest, is literally the transcript of the promos that were cut back then. At first I wasn't going to do this, but it was so darn awesome that I decided to watch the clips and jot it all down. I enjoyed the trip down memory lane and hope you do as well - with my additions ;-)

BTW, very excited to have a good deal of the on screen stuff out of the way. In either ch 6 or 7, we'll likely jump forward right to the middle of the Kurt Angle love triangle. The Trish crap will be summarized...but other than that the couple didn't exactly have problems. So once we get to that chapter, it will mostly be my own ideas and imagination driving this story forward.

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><p>Hunter eyed his wife carefully. She appeared to be having some sort of inner battle with herself over whether or not to bludgeon him with a sledgehammer. Then an idea hit him.<p>

What if the reason she had been able to fool her family so easily...was because she wasn't fooling them at all?

It was true enough that Vince had his daughter stalked, abducted and then sacrificed in the ring for his own personal gain, to get back at Stone Cold Steve Austin, whom he hated. It was an elaborate plan that had taken several weeks to execute.

This marriage plan had taken several weeks to execute. And Vince hated him.

But, that didn't quite sit right with him. Vince was the owner of the company and could force him to be in a match whether he liked it or not. It made no logical sense to orchestrate this whole thing just so his seemingly precious daughter could bash his head in.

After all, it hadn't been his idea to marry her and he hadn't wronged her in such a way that she would go along with this if she was truly the sweet Stephanie that the McMahons knew and loved. Not after her reaction to her father's scheming with the Undertaker.

So either he had underestimated her acting skills or she was possibly having a change of heart about the whole thing. Was she doubting that their plan would be successful in driving her family out? If it failed, she'd be the black sheep of the family and would still have to deal with them regularly in the business sense. She'd be financially cut off and married for no apparent reason.

Maybe she decided that it wasn't worth the risk and that she should cut her losses now. Ensuring that he lost this match would, as the contract stipulated, force him to consent to annulling their marriage.

He just stared at her curiously, while shaking his head and holding his hand out in peace. It was more for the crowd and her father. Whatever she had decided in that head of hers, he was soon to find out. It was best to assume they were sticking with their plans for company domination.

The grip on her weapon loosened and she lowered it considerably. The menacing look on her face softened and she turned around.

"I can't do it," he heard her tell her father.

He wasted no time grabbing the weapon and smashing Vince in the gut and then in the forehead with it. He pinned the man in the most humiliating way he could think of: holding his free hand and weapon in the air in victory, while securing the pin with his foot planted in the owner's chest.

The brunette fell to her knees beside Vince, hovering over him as she appeared to grieve at his loss. He stared at her from across the ring, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. Had she changed her mind or what? He kept a firm grip on his weapon of choice as he wandered over to the duo. He lined the sledgehammer up with the back of her head, raising it high with both hands. But, he listened intently.

She spoke to Vince in a low tone, barely loud enough for Hunter to hear over the crowd. "You think you're so much smarter than everyone, don't you? I can't wait to see your reaction when you get the strength to drag your beaten, bloodied ass up." She looked up as the crowed rumbled their disapproval. Slowly, her body turned to find that Hunter was standing above her with the sledgehammer held high above his head, poised to strike.

Her eyes were wide and her mouth open in shock. Technically speaking, she was at a disadvantage here. All he really cared about was the title and he had just won his shot at it with her help. She'd held up her end of the deal.

He had already guessed that she'd drop him as soon as she got what she wanted. So, he knew that his reign of total power would be short-lived. It was then that she realized she might have made a mistake in tipping her hand first. She stared at him, trying to search his eyes.

The positioning of the sledgehammer changed: he lowered it and now held it loosely at his side with one hand. She stood up to face him, her expression unchanged and he put the sledgehammer down entirely. They looked at each other for a long moment and she saw his lips twitch ever so slightly.

She smirked deviously and walked over to him, falling into his open arms willingly. Unwillingly, her hormones got thrown out of whack. It made no sense that he could still smell so good after a long, grueling match. And she'd be kidding herself if she denied that she felt pleasantly vulnerable to be embraced by such strong arms.

Their hug ended and they raised their arms in triumph. They fell into an easy kiss that lasted for a few seconds before continuing to celebrate their accomplishment.

They stayed in a two bedroom suite that night and slept separately. Other than their plans to further the humiliation and shame of her father, they didn't speak and just did their own thing. Hunter spent the next day in the gym and hanging out with his DX buddies. She spent it by pampering herself in a day spa, changing her hairstyle and shopping.

By the time Hunter called to say they needed to leave for the arena within an hour, she had already been inside the lobby of the hotel.

He opened the door for her when she knocked and his hazel eyes went wide. She was wearing sinfully tight leather pants and a low cut red top. Her heels were strappy and high and her normally straight hair was crinkled.

She smiled at his open appraisal of her new look. "Ready to go?"

At her question, the shock left his face to be replaced by a smile. "Yeah," he confirmed, stepping out and shutting the door behind him. _Well, _he thought, _if she's embracing her wild side I guess she has to look the part. _

They were sat on opposite sides of the limo in a mostly comfortable silence. Every now and then one of them would express their enthusiasm for the coming night. Hunter knew that Vince would call them out at some point. Most likely he would be accused of corrupting his precious daughter. That couldn't be further from the truth and Stephanie insisted to be the one to tell him so. He was very much looking forward to that and suggested that after she stabbed the knife in Vince's back deeper, that he join her out there and they embrace right in front of the old man.

If that didn't send him over the edge, they didn't know what would.

They arrived at their destination and Hunter got out first, extending his hand to help his bride. She took it and they walked down hallway hand in hand. Occasionally, they stopped to hug or for Hunter to twirl her. It was what newlyweds would do.

"Look who it is," she whispered to Hunter conspiratorially.

Hunter grinned and led the way over to Stephanie's brother. "Hey Shano how's it going bro? What's happening?" He released his wife and extended his hand for a handshake he knew he wouldn't get.

Shane slapped his hand away roughly. "Get your hand out of my face," he commanded.

"Hey that's not very nice," Hunter said. _This is priceless, _he thought. Normally he'd kick somebody's ass for daring to touch him but that wasn't the point here. His sole purpose was to bother and annoy.

Shane turned his heated gaze to his sister. "You proud of what you did? You only have one family , you proud of what you did? You saw your father out there-"

The devious brunette was all smiles and desperately trying to hold back her giggles at Shane's rant. Finally, she nodded. "Yes, actually," she confirmed.

Shane's angry stare got even more angry. Hunter put his arm back around his wife. "Take it easy," he said lightly.

The pair watched as Shane tightened his jaw, clenched his fists and looked away briefly before turning his attention back to his sister. He pointed at her. "You only have one family and you screwed that up. You have no idea, when you grow up little girl you'll finally figure out exactly what you did to your family," he warned. "You guys make me sick!"

She couldn't keep the grin off her face and she nodded and placed her hand over her heart mockingly.

Hunter released her again and walked over to Shane with his arms open wide. "Hey brothers come on give me a hug," he said cheerfully.

Shane held his hand up and backed away. "Get out of my face. You just better get out of my face!"

"He's got no family spirit at all," he complained, resuming his previous embrace with his wife.

She shook her head. "He's so mad," she added as they began walking away.

"It's the holidays, even," Hunter shook his head in mock-disappointment.

Hunter sat in the locker room while he watched Vince call him out. Stephanie had been anticipating this and was waiting just behind the curtain for Vince to formalize his angry request for her husband to come out.

As he watched the older man swing the sledgehammer around, he became somewhat uneasy and hoped that he wouldn't actually hit his daughter with it. But, Stephanie was smart. Surely she wouldn't go out there if she didn't know for a fact that nothing would happen to her.

He dismissed the thought and focused on the screen again as his very own music hit and she made her way to the ring.

"What're you gonna do with that sledgehammer Dad?" Vince ignored her and continued to look towards the ramp, hoping her husband would come out. "What're you gonna do with it? You wanna bash Triple H's head in?" Vince nodded and swung his weapon for emphasis. "You wanna bash my brains in?"

The menacing glare fell into a frown and he looked at her incredulously.

"Do it," she challenged. "Raise that hammer high above your head and bash in my brains."

"What are you saying?" He asked her, lowering the sledgehammer.

"Cause that's the only way you're gonna get to Triple H," she clarified. A wide smile adorned her face at the look on Vince's face. The thought that she'd sacrifice herself for her husband.

"Because like it or not, we're married." She gave an evil smirk and held up her hand, wiggling the finger that now donned a wedding ring.

She walked away slightly and began to reminisce. "You see Dad it's always been about what you like what you want. Even at the expense of your own family." She shook her head in disgust. "I did love Andrew, but I wasn't ready to get married, that's what you wanted." That was a lie, but no one knew that. Stephanie's entire family did technically pressure her into marrying the guy. But she had been willing, if for no other reason than to finally get them off of her back. Had she loved him? Unlikely.

"And you know what Dad I'm not Daddy's little girl anymore," she told him cruelly. Technically speaking, she never was, but it was unnecessary and risky to say that. "I'm doing things my way and it feels damn good."

"You know, I have to admit, I used to get butterflies when Triple H would look at me," she smiled sweetly and tilted her head from side to side as she spoke. "I didn't want to, I didn't really mean to. But just the way he would stand up to you he was so strong and powerful and he outsmarted you," she arched her brow, hoping that Vince heard her unspoken statement, "by making business personal. And that's something you know all about Dad, isn't it? Making business personal."

Vince creased his brow and wondered exactly what situation she was referring to. He had done that more than once during her life. Unconsciously, his hand moved to touch his hip. That was a situation he hadn't readily thought about in ten years. Mostly, he forgot about it as his daughter had seemed to.

"Oh you look confused, like you don't remember. I guess it's been a long time it's been almost a year since you had me abducted."

It dawned on him that she wasn't talking about the business dealing of her childhood. Maybe she really had forgotten about it. He was relieved somewhat, but still apprehensive that she was so incredibly pissed off that she'd do this.

She shook her head in disgust at the slightly more relaxed look on his face. "You had me locked in a rat infested basement with no light, I thought no one was coming for me. You put me there! Then you had someone rifle through all of my personal and private things in my bedroom. I didn't know what kind of person had been through all my private things. You made them do it, you did!" She yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"But then the icing on the cake. You had me strapped to a symbol and carried down to this ring to be sacrificed to the undertaker in a wedding. You did it! I was sacrificed all right, at my father's expense simply so you could screw Stone Cold Steve Austin."

"But you know what _Daddy_? Like I said a couple weeks ago...what goes around comes around. You hurt me. And what's the best way that I could hurt you back? By marrying the man you hate the most," an evil smile graced her lips. "My husband Triple H. Hunter Hearst Helmsley."

She turned and began to leave the ring, stopping in mid stride to add, "Oh, oh and by the way Dad, just you know Triple H really turns me on." She started laughing while she exited the ring and made her way up the ramp. Hunter's music played, but it wasn't due to her exit. He had appeared under the Titantron, waiting for her.

"Vince, the one mistake I made last night was leaving you in a puddle of your own blood unconscious so you couldn't see the deal get sealed. So Vince one more time just for you let me put the sealer on it. I'm gonna seal it...with a kiss," he proclaimed before leaning down to do exactly that.

Their lips broke apart, but they remained otherwise embraced in a tight hug with matching grins of devilment.

Hunter was hit with a bright idea. He readjusted himself and picked her up to carry her over the threshold. In their case, that simply meant carrying her backstage.

Once they were clear of the gaze of a dejected looking Vince McMahon, he sat her back on the ground and they held hands on the way to the parking garage.

They hid behind a structure, waiting to see if their plan would be fully successful. In the distance, they heard Vince shouting right before he unknowingly stormed right past them to his limo, with her brother in tow.

"Come here! Come on," he screamed at the driver. "What's the matter with you? Get in the car, get me outta here! This place stinks. I can't breathe the same air that son of a bitch breathes. Get me outta here!"

Shane quickly intervened on behalf of the rattled driver. He touched his father's shoulder. "Let's go. Let's go, come on just get in the car."

Vince and Shane jumped into the limo and it sped off, leaving behind the scent of burning rubber.

The couple appeared from behind the support beam, grinning.

"Bye," she said in a high-pitched voice as she waving at the retreating vehicle.

"Bye daddy, bye brother," Hunter mimicked.

"Well what're we gonna do?" She questioned, in jest.

"Your whole family's gone. Who's gonna run the family business?" Hunter questioned innocently.

"I guess that leaves you and I."

Hunter nodded in satisfaction. "I guess it does."

"I guess we're gonna have to take things over," she declared proudly.

"Let's just - that's a hell of an idea. Let's just take over."

They walked away arm in arm, discussing the havoc they intended to cause tonight.

_Maybe I'll keep him around a little longer. I could use the brawn...and he is a pretty good kisser, _she thought.


	6. Christmas

Hunter and his wife sat across from each other at the dining room table in almost total silence. They had decided to order takeout from Marie Callender's and eat at the hotel. Stephanie had alienated herself from her entire family and Hunter's had ostracized him for his callous behavior a year ago. DX had split off in multiple directions, each going to spend Christmas with their own families.

It wasn't until this very moment that he realized all they had was each other. The very thought was fucking scary because he still wasn't sure if he could trust her. But, he didn't want to be alone today. He wasn't sure how she felt about the situation and honestly he hadn't cared enough to ask. Call him cruel, but she was his last resort. A placeholder, really.

On screen they were extremely affectionate and appeared to just belong together. Nothing was further from the truth. As soon as the show was over, they split up to do their own thing. He usually spent his time working out and hanging out with his buddies. And he had no idea where Stephanie went. Sadly, he wasn't the least bit interested in where she went as long as she was back and ready to rule the Federation with him when she was supposed to.

They knew nothing about each other. All he knew about her was what he had so far experienced. He had no idea how much of her prior persona was truth or an act.

But, he did know a few things. This woman certainly did _not _love Andrew "Test" Martin, her former fiancée. Honestly, he had no idea why Stephanie kept insisting that they break him. As far as he could tell, the guy hadn't wronged her in any way. Yet day after day, she had him and other people assault him. They'd bloodied him, beaten his ass and even broken his nose. And it wasn't enough for Stephanie. She demanded more. So, they'd gone after his nose again and again. Stephanie would even interfere in matches, ensuring that he lost. She'd slap the half-conscious man in the most humiliating way.

It wasn't that Hunter didn't love this. Something about the man had always pissed Hunter off. Maybe it was the fact that he made abnormally tall, muscular, blonde haired males look bad. But, if anything, Stephanie's treatment of Test...and everyone else who didn't kiss her ass, ensured that she wasn't going to screw him over anytime soon. Not with all the enemies they had made in the short span of two weeks. But, he viewed Test as a cautionary tale. A preview of what this woman was capable of when she decided she no longer wanted you around. His guard was very much up. In fact, it had a tall, iron gate with electrified barbed wire at the top and rabid dogs on the other side.

Still, he found himself morbidly curious as to how she got this way. He understood why she had done this to her father, of course. But, the viciousness with which she ran the company was unparalleled. She was just as horrible to people as he was and together they were ten times worse than Vince McMahon.

It was such a contrast to when she was simply Stephanie McMahon...before Helmsley became attached to her name. He didn't think she'd faked being a nice girl her entire life. Just in the last month or so. So, he wanted to understand how and why her personality totally and completely shifted.

But, that worried him. What if it was some sob story? What if it went deeper than the whole Ministry of Darkness plot? If it was something more awful than what he already knew about, he might start to sympathize with her. He might feel sorry for her. God help him, he might start to even like her.

Right now he didn't feel any of those things. He didn't quite understand her or care about her. He didn't like or dislike her because he didn't know her.

All he was able to feel was curious...but even that was outweighed by his caution. He wouldn't go down this road. There were signs plastered all over it warning him that at the end of it was a cliff and rocky waters below.

Her fork clanged against her plate and he looked up to find her wiping her mouth with a napkin. She was gorgeous and rich. Her family loved and mostly protected her before this...and barring the whole stalker/marriage plot. What had happened to make her this cold?

_Stop, _he ordered himself, turning his attention back to the last roll. His plate was empty.

"That was good," she announced. "Thanks."

So, she was cold. At least she had manners. "You're welcome."

He heard the light scuffling of foam dishes and plastic silverware as she gathered them up and dumped them in the trashcan.

Without another word she walked into her room and closed the door. Thirty minutes later, she reemerged with damp hair and in a different outfit. When she left, she had been wearing jeans and a baby tee. Now, she was in a sinfully short, royal blue spaghetti strap dress.

He blinked as he watched her fasten on a pair of silver hoop earrings to match her silver high heels. He took a sip of his water. "Going out?"

It wasn't a smile. Not really. What Stephanie sent him was a 'what-the-fuck-do-you-care-for' smirk. "Yeah," she answered simply.

He nodded and resigned himself to not ask her things he had no right to. They were married, but still had no legitimate claim to each other. She didn't have to tell him where she got off to. And he had no right to ask unless it was interfering with their business deal. She could go to Timbuktu for all he cared. "All right. See ya later."

"See ya," she returned before walking her tall, lithe frame over to the door and letting herself out.

"Alone again," he muttered discontentedly. Despite the fact that he hadn't really yearned for her company, she had kept him from being totally alone. But, his placeholder had ditched him and he'd be damned if he sat here like some pathetic chump on Christmas.

There was no shortage of girls lining up to have their way with him. He'd get cleaned up and see what the nightlife of this hotel had to offer. If that didn't tickle his fancy, maybe he'd even roam the city in search of a good time and a hot, young thing to occupy his bed tonight. He got up from the table and set off to his room to get ready.

Upstairs, the tall brunette was at the bar sipping a green apple martini. The hotel's nightclub wasn't packed. There was still room to stand without being smothered. But in the few minutes she'd been here, she was able to deduce that it would be packed to capacity fairly soon as people kept entering, in steady numbers.

_Everyone wants some holiday cheer, _was the inside joke she had with herself.

"Hey," a male voice said beside her.

She turned her head and appraised him openly. His height was average by her standards. Naturally, she stood just shy of 5'9" and with heels she was easily 6 feet tall. For her, average began at 6 feet. He had green eyes and deep black hair. "Hey," she greeted.

"Come here often?" He asked, revealing a set of straight, bright white teeth.

She laughed loudly. "Lame," she dismissed, turning to sip at her drink again.

"I know," he admitted, leaning over to touch her knee briefly. "But, that's the universal way to get a woman to laugh. Stephanie McMahon is apparently not an exception."

"Selene," she said.

Her prospect's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry?"

"My name isn't Stephanie McMahon. It's Selene."

"Oh," he exclaimed, clearly embarrassed at his mistake. She recognized the change on his face when he eyed her and decided that it didn't matter what the hell her name was because she was still smoking hot tonight. "Uncommon name. And you look so much like her."

She ran her well-manicured index finger along the rim of her cup. "Don't worry, lots of people mistake me for her. As for my name," she smiled. "It means 'goddess of the moon'...it suits me. I mostly come out at night," she joked.

His deep laughter rang out over the pulsating music. "My pleasure, Selene. I'm Adonis."

_Yes, you are, _she thought, unable to miss the muscles that strained against his dark slacks and button-down shirt. "Pleasure's all mine," she said easily.

If she had it her way, that would be true in more ways than one.


	7. Christmas part 2

LOL! First off Jess you're making me feel old...I was 12 when that wedding happened! I actually started watching WWF/E around the time of the Love Her or Leave Her Match so I was a fan, too...I thought they were cute in a really lame, nerdy way. Thought Trips was like the devil (loved him still, though) until Armageddon haha. As for Adonis - meh he's a nobody, not going to be a recurring character! The Kurt love triangle thing will happen in a later chapter, but I basically thought up some filler to bridge the gap..so this fic will definitely be more than 10 chapters. I'm just going to let it lead me instead of trying to make it fit within a certain predetermined length. Thanks so much for the reviews, ladies! They're much appreciated and this round of them cracked me up! Here's your next installment, hope you enjoy!

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><p>"So what's a pretty lady like you doing all alone on Christmas?" Adonis asked, taking a drink from his beer bottle.<p>

She shrugged and sipped at her martini again. "I like to live on the edge. Putting down roots and forming relationships with people aren't really my thing."

Adonis nodded, understanding perfectly. He was the same way. Especially when it came to his dealings with the opposite sex. He'd hit the jackpot in coming across a woman that was so attractive and would definitely not be interested in dating him. "I dig it," he agreed.

_He sucks so badly, _she thought. If he wasn't so boyishly cute and she wasn't so insanely sex-starved she would definitely have told him to hit the dirt the second he'd said that awful opening line. All she hoped for at this point was that he was good in the sack. As crazed as she was, she probably wouldn't even notice if he was awful, being that she could and would take charge if necessary. "Glad you...dig it," she returned awkwardly. Really, she had no idea what else to say. His conversational skills were average at best. And coupled with the fact that she truly didn't give a shit about what he had to say meant that this chat was going nowhere fast. Why couldn't they just skip the horrible attempts at talking and just go have sex?

Adonis ran a hand over his short, black hair and smiled at her. "So I'm assuming you're single, then."

She chuckled and decided to have some fun with the guy. Anything to spice things up. "I'm married."

His green eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Married?" He questioned loudly. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" He looked over both shoulders and craned his neck to peer all around the club. It was like he was trying to spot her so-called husband, assuming that he'd be glaring at them from a distance like some kind of maniac.

She shrugged. "Because it's a non-issue. We have a very unique marriage."

"I don't know about this, Selene." He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "Is your husband a jealous kind of guy?"

Another shrug. "Hell if I know." It was the God's honest truth. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Come upstairs with me and I can guarantee you'll forget all about that niggling detail." To emphasize her point she lightly bit his earlobe before pulling away.

"Well, is he a fighting kind of guy, at least?" He asked.

She sighed and stood up. She reached into her silver clutch purse and pulled out a twenty dollar bill. She tossed it onto the counter and gestured to the money when she caught the bartender's eye. Her hand raked through her slightly damp hair, shaking it out. Then, she casually tossed it over her shoulder. "It's been real, Adonis. Gotta go," she announced before turning on her heel and walking away. It was high time to find another potential.

A hand on her arm halted her as soon as she walked onto the dance floor. She pressed her lips into a tight line, not all that pleased that someone had the audacity to grab her like this. She turned around to find Adonis standing there. She stared at him. "What?'

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know. But I'm not going to waste my time with you because this," she gestured between the two of them, "is obviously not going to happen."

Adonis arched one of his dark eyebrows, challenging her. "Oh yeah?" He asked.

Her response was on the tip of her tongue, but before she got it out, he yanked her over to him and pressed his lips against hers. She kissed him back and she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was just lost in the moment in general. God knows she'd definitely kissed guys that were more skilled than this. But, he'd do for the night.

Hunter had just finished dressing. He was wearing grey slacks, black shoes and a black polo shirt. The outfit wasn't over or underdone. He decided against spraying on any cologne. He was fresh out of the shower and still smelled like his body wash. It would do; he didn't plan on being out long.

He checked his appearance in the mirror before frowning slightly. He took the band out of his hair and allowed it to fall in its naturally curly state, around his shoulders. The front remained relatively slicked down, due to the fact that it had been pulled back into a ponytail. He did a quick run through, making sure he had his wallet, cell phone and hotel room key. He opened the door and walked out. Suddenly, he was really looking forward to the night. He had a feeling it would be eventful...and successful for what he had planned to happen.

His long arm reached out to press the button to call the elevator. He and Stephanie were just a few floors below the top floor, so he prepared himself to wait for at least a couple of minutes. His long frame leaned against the wall casually. But, he didn't get to relax long as the elevator dinged a mere few seconds after he made himself comfortable. He stayed put, deciding that people probably needed to get off first.

The elevator opened and no one stepped off. He shrugged and stepped on, ignoring the couple in the corner that was making out like their lives depended on it. Maybe, it did. He wasn't here to judge.

He pressed the button for the rooftop level and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He shook his head when the kisses became audible. Somebody was pressing noisy smacks on somebody else's skin. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that it was in fact the male of the pair that had shifted his lips downward.

God help the poor lady. It sounded like this guy had no idea what the hell he was doing. "Uh, a little lower," the soft, female voice instructed.

"Lower," she said simply.

Hunter smirked to himself and looked at the floor, trying not to outright laugh at the agitation that was evident in her voice.

"Damn it, lower," she hissed, a little louder.

At this, Hunter's head snapped up and he turned to face the pair. He _knew _that voice. "What the hell?" He asked loudly.

The man jumped and turned around, looking like a frightened school kid. Stephanie simply glared at him for his interruption.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"What are you doing, Stephanie?"

"I knew it!" Adonis exclaimed. "I knew you were Stephanie McMahon," he accused.

She glanced over at him and rolled her eyes dryly.

"And you're Triple H!"

Hunter narrowed his eyes. "Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley," he corrected absently, his gaze not leaving his wife's.

Adonis' wide green eyes got even wider."Ohmygod," he rambled together quickly. "Please don't kill me. I'm sorry. She said-"

The elevator dinged and initially nobody moved. Finally, Hunter turned to the third wheel. "It was nice meeting you, whoever you are," he dismissed as politely as possible.

"Adonis," the rattled man inserted.

"Whatever, I don't care!" Hunter finally snapped. "Just get off this damn elevator and do not tell anyone what just happened."

He nodded and scurried off the elevator. Hunter pressed the button for their floor, ignoring his wife's protests to let her off.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, moving to stand beside him.

"We're going back to the room," he answered simply.

She eyed him incredulously. "Why? I was having fun!"

"We're supposed to be pretending we're a real married couple. You're out sucking face with some guy in plain sight. You think this kind of shit wouldn't get back to your family eventually?" He walked to the other side of the elevator and leaned against it.

"Oh, take it down a notch," she scrunched up her nose angrily. "I told him I wasn't Stephanie McMahon."

He gave her an unimpressed stare. "How clever, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley," the sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable when he used his own surname at her. "You can't just run around picking up strangers like that."

She placed her hands on her hips. "Why not? Isn't that what you got all dressed up to do?"

"I know a little something about discretion."

"Whatever. You can't tell me what to do. I'm going back up," she declared proudly, hitting the button for the roof.

He walked over to join her by the panel. "You're not screwing this up for us," he said firmly, grabbing her wrist.

She turned around to meet his angry eyes. "I know what I'm doing." She tried wriggling her arm free but was unsuccessful.

"So do I," he returned, right before the elevator dinged and slid open. "You're going back to the room and I'm going to make sure you stay there."

"You can't – let me go!" She yelled as he grabbed her other wrist, half-shoving and half-pulling her down the hall. This couldn't be legal. She had rights. Why had no one come out of their room to see what the commotion was about? Why wasn't security trying to stop this? "This hotel sucks," she muttered as she unwillingly followed him to the hotel.

"Stop struggling," he said lightly.

"Or what?" She practically snarled at him.

Hunter stopped and looked at her seriously. Her chest was heaving and he knew that if given the chance, she'd make a run for it. He sighed and readjusted their positions. Before she could object, he slung her over his shoulder, his arm wrapped securely around her waist.

"Put me down!" Her hands slapped against his back and her legs flailed wildly. "Help! Rape!" She screamed in futile desperation, seeing as no one attempted to see what she was going off about.

Hunter's eyes widened and he picked up the pace. "Damn it, stop yelling that!"

In less than thirty seconds, they were in front of the room and he slid his keycard into the slot. Luck was on his side, as it turned green on the first try. He opened the door and locked it behind them. He sat a still-thrashing Stephanie down on her feet and bent until he was at her height.

He smiled at her and asked in a mocking voice, "Are you going to be a good girl or will I have to tie you up?"

Her response was to square her jaw and look away. Before he could do anything to stop it, her hand connected with his face.

In hindsight, the warning signs that she would do this had been there. And, really, it was foolish to lower himself to her height, giving her better access to take her shot. He rubbed his cheek, fairly certain that it was turning red and boasted a handprint from her.

"You asshole!" She shouted as she began to pace. "All I wanted was a little Christmas sex! Hell, you know you did, too otherwise you wouldn't be all dressed up. But, no! Noooo," she droned as she paced and ranted. "You just had to screw that up for me. I'll bet he's running around telling everybody what happened and now even if I do get away from this room, no guy will come near me for fear of getting beat senseless by _you,_" she spat.

Despite his irritation at the fact she had really just slapped him, he laughed. A sexually frustrated Stephanie was pretty damn hilarious. He might have to thwart her efforts again strictly for entertainment purposes.

"It's not funny!" She scolded, her blue eyes flaring angrily. "All I wanted was to play with him a little."

"You could always go play with yourself," he offered, smirking.

"Ugh!" She groaned loudly and stomped away from him. When she reached her bedroom door she walked in and slammed it shut behind her.

Still amused, he made his way to his own room and closed it calmly.

Inside the room, he allowed himself to stew. How fucking careless could she be? No, he hadn't intended to stay abstinent throughout their marriage – however long it may turn out to be. But, he also wasn't stupid enough to be making out with a potential sex toy out in the open. It had been has intention to find a girl, inform her of the room he was in and have her meet him there later.

Only Stephanie could think it was perfectly fine to begin a random freak fest in an elevator. Judging by the fact that they were close to the top floor, he was going to take a wild guess and say that her...closeness to the guy began while she was still upstairs. Even more in the public eye. He shook his head. She was an otherwise brilliant and calculating woman. He couldn't believe she was so desperate for a male touch that she would do this.

What the hell was she thinking? Was she trying to sabotage her own plan for WWF domination or did she simply not care if she was caught? Or did she think her idea tonight had been foolproof?

She'd used a fake name. That showed some semblance of advance planning. But, it wasn't enough. Clearly, they needed to have a talk about what off-camera behavior was acceptable. He had no qualms with her bedding her man of choice as long as she didn't do it in a way that might jeopardize their position of power. They always got a two bedroom suite. So, for all he cared, she could bang whoever she wanted in her room and he would do what he wanted in his. It was a winning situation for everyone involved.


	8. Christmas part 3

Okay, you guys know I don't usually double post, LOL. But, I am SOOOOO incredibly giddy and excited for this chapter. I don't want to spoil it so I'll shut up now. Thanks for the hilarious, wonderful reviews. Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed forming the idea and typing it out!

I'm dangerously close to leaving the "teen" rating and going over into "mature"...be warned :-)

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><p>Hunter sat propped up against the pillows clad in only a pair of boxers. He used the remote to flick over the pay per view movie menu. He was wide awake with nothing to do. But, he couldn't leave because he was more or less babysitting his wife, making sure she didn't do anything stupid. A yawn escaped as he continued to scroll through the selections, but it was out of boredom and not exhaustion.<p>

He looked up and narrowed his eyes as he heard the door creak open softly along with a soft knock. His wife appeared, still dressed in her nightlife attire. But, she was barefoot now and she had crinkled her hair for reasons he wasn't going to attempt to understand. It's not like she was going anywhere. He tapped his chin thoughtfully with the remote. "Opening the door as you knock kind of defeats the purpose of it, you know."

She gave a one-sided, timid smile. "Sorry. I just came to say that you were right. About me potentially screwing up the plan. I'll be more careful."

He nodded, appreciating that she'd calmed down long enough to see things from the rational perspective. It also pleased him that she was big enough to admit that she was at fault. "That's all I ask."

She gave a small smile, then hung her head dejectedly and turned to walk out.

Hunter chewed his lip for a moment, debating with himself on whether or not to extend the offer. Despite the fact that she had behaved carelessly, he sort of felt bad for how he treated her. He'd essentially embarrassed her in front of her prospect, overpowered her and treated her like a child. She was probably right to think that even if she did leave the room, no guy would come near her. He felt somewhat guilty that now they would both spend this night alone. "You can come in and join me, Stephanie. I was just about to order a movie."

If Hunter had seen the wide, triumphant, devious smile that crossed her face, he might have rescinded the offer. But as luck would have it, her back was to him when he said that.

She turned around and asked quietly, "You don't mind?" _Maybe I should overthrow Hollywood instead, _she bragged inside her head.

He shook his head and patted the empty space on the bed next to him in a friendly, inviting manner. It was a king sized bed and he figured that there was more than enough room for them to share it during the movie, without having to be uncomfortably close to one another.

She climbed onto the bed beside him and scooted over a little closer than was necessary, given all the space that there was. Hunter said nothing and simply continued to browse the choices. "What are we watching?"

"Don't know yet," was his reply.

She nodded and inched over. Before he could stop her, her hand was running up and down his thigh.

He sat the remote down on the nightstand and turned to her. He arched a brow and asked dryly, "Can I help you?"

She smirked at him. "Since you ruined my attempt at releasing all this...sexual tension...you can help me out with that."

Taken off guard by her blatant proposition, he wasn't prepared to fend her off when she moved to straddle him.

"Business and pleasure don't mix," he reminded her.

She waved her hand in dismissal of the old saying. "This isn't a traditional marriage. I say we make our own rules."

"Some rules exist for good reason," he tried, desperately ignoring how soft her hands felt against his chest.

"And some deserve to be broken," she countered smoothly before pressing her lips against the column of his throat.

He swallowed hard, making his Adam's apple bob up and down. This was probably _such _a bad idea.

But...if they could keep their relationship as just professional and sexual, it might work. In fact, if they gave each other much needed physical pleasure on a regular basis, neither of them would have to sneak around picking up random people. It might actually make things easier. He grabbed the back of her head with one hand, lightly tugging on her hair until she lifted her head and pressed her lips against his. For the next couple minutes their mouths and tongues battled for dominance, while their bodies unconsciously ground against each other.

Once breathless, they broke the kiss and Hunter easily tugged her dress up and off over her head in one fluid motion. All that was left of her outfit was a blue, matching strapless bra and thong set.

His massive arms wrapped around her waist and flipped her over, reversing their positions entirely. He resumed their kiss momentarily, before trailing his lips along her jaw, down her neck and collarbone, stopping to land in the middle of her chest. She arched her back and reached behind her, snapping the bra off with one hand before tossing it to the floor. He lavished each mound of flesh with lazy attention before continuing downwards.

This time, she arched her hips upwards and allowed him to slide her underwear off.

He sat on his knees, wrapping a part of the strap around the thumb of one hand. He pulled the rest of the material back as far as it would go with the other hand. He winked at her before finally allowing the thong to slingshot somewhere across the room.

She couldn't help but snicker at him. He grinned at her devilishly before lowering his head, his mouth making contact with her core. She lost the ability to concentrate and pressed her hands to her head to regain it. But, it was too late.

Stephanie gasped and blinked frantically.

_What the hell just happened? What is – _"Oh, God," she moaned out suddenly as if her mind was just now reconnecting with her body. She raised up onto her elbows slightly, seeing a head of blond hair settled between her legs. That was all she could make out before the urge to grab onto something overtook her. She relaxed and fastened one hand into Hunter's hair, slightly pressing him even tighter against her body.

Her other hand gripped and twisted at the sheets.

_Whatever has gotten into Andrew, I love it! He's never any good at this. I don't even care how he learned to – _"Oh! Just like that," she encouraged, screwing her eyes shut tightly.

All sense of reason and coherent thought left her as she gave into the pleasurable sensations she was experiencing. Seconds later, her body shuddered with her release.

She rubbed the back of Hunter's head affectionately, still riding the waves of her climax. When he was satisfied with his work, he lifted his head.

Lazily, she raised up on her elbows again, about to congratulate Andrew on actually doing a good job at oral sex for a change. But, her words lodged in her throat and her eyes went wide.

"Surprised at what I'm capable of, huh?" Hunter grinned at her, before starting to kiss a trail up her body.

"Uh huh," she mumbled, at a total loss for words.

_What the hell is going on? Where is Andrew? What happened with my Dad's match? Christ, what am I doing here with Triple H? How did I even get here? What – what damn day is this? I don't-_

A low moan stole out from her lips when Hunter kissed her. It was at that moment that she dismissed every last one of her questions. She'd figure out what was happening and why, later. Right now, she simply didn't care. All she knew was that she had just had one of the best orgasms of her life. And if the hardness she felt pressing up against her was any indication, it looked like it was about to be followed by the best sex of her life. She'd find the answers...and probably feel guilty about this, later. Triple H seemed comfortable enough with what he was doing with her and for now that was good enough to make her relax, too.

He moved his lips down to the side of her neck and she rested her left hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were heavily lidded, but she still saw the gold ring adorning her finger. As if on cue, Hunter moved his left hand and began kneading her breasts. She arched her back and her eyes briefly closed before she forced herself to focus. His hand was sporting a gold band as well.

They were still married and apparently were behaving as normal newlyweds should. That made her feel somewhat better about what was happening and what was no doubt about to happen. She lifted up her long legs and used her feet to shove his boxers down his legs.

He stopped what he was doing and moved to rest a fraction of his weight on her and most of it on his right forearm. He quickly got the boxers the rest of the way off. Then he leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed a pair of dark slacks from the carpeted floor, his hand silently rummaging around in the pockets. "Aha!" He declared, pulling the wrapped condom out triumphantly.

Stephanie became nervous while she waited a few seconds for him to prepare. This was _so _messed up. She had no recollection of how the hell she ended up in this predicament. And worse, was that she didn't actually care. She was just going to proceed and figure it out later. What kind of person did that make her?

She was engaged! Well, she used to be. Much like her father, Andrew blamed her for ending up married to Triple H.

Hunter repositioned himself above her and his brow creased in concern. "You okay?" He reached out and cupped her cheek with his palm. He was confused. Stephanie had come on to him and now she looked like she was having second thoughts. Worse, he actually felt...tender towards her. Something major had shifted about her. He couldn't exactly tell what had caused it, but he no longer felt the coldness or even the sultriness she had been exhibiting previously. She was softer now. Maybe even sweet.

She nodded her head and gave a reassuring smile.

He smiled back at her and said. "By the way; Merry Christmas."

Stephanie quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down into a searing kiss. She needed to hide her surprise that her last memory was from a full two weeks prior. If she allowed herself to dwell on that absolute fact, she would turn into an anxious, analytical ball of nerves and there was no way in hell she would be able to shake it off and do what she wanted.

And right now, the blond currently attached to her was what she wanted. She broke the kiss and said, "Merry Christmas."

Hours later, Stephanie lay on her back in the darkness, staring up at the ceiling. The man occupying the space in the bed next to her mumbled incoherently in his sleep and rolled over, draping an arm across her stomach protectively.

She couldn't believe that she'd just had sex with Triple H of all people.

It was a strange turn of events how her feelings for him had shifted in the course of the last couple of hours. But, she couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed herself immensely. Over and over and over again. And she knew that he had enjoyed himself, too, despite the fact that he had a reputation in the locker room for being a complete man-whore. The experience with him wasn't at all like she had previously imagined it would be – quick, uncaring and possibly even rough. Instead, he had taken his time with her. Gentle, but assertive. Skilled and passionate. He'd touched her body, all right. But, there was another touch, another tug that she felt when she looked at him now. One that had nothing to do with the multiple climaxes he had brought her to. The catalyst might have been their encounter, but there was definitely something else to it. Something that transcended those events.

She had no idea what the hell was happening between them but she was sure she would find out soon enough. If she was honest with herself, she couldn't wait to find out.

Suddenly, his stubbly chin nuzzled her cheek. "Go to sleep," he said in a soft tone that was filled with the evidence that he'd just awakened from a deep slumber.

With a smile, she turned her head slightly and pressed a kiss against his lips. She rolled off of her back and onto her side, covering his arm with hers. She was delighted when his arm tightened around her and he shuffled closer, somewhat burying his head into her hair.

The last thing she registered before she gave into her exhausted mind and body was his deep, even breathing beside her.


	9. Tornado

First off, thanks for the lovely reviews, ladies! They're much appreciated!

Oh yeah! I remember my grandmother watching OLTL when I was a kid. Vicki and Nicki, right? Or didn't she have like 4 personalities? lol. I don't remember the specifics of that storyline but I recall that Jessica has an evil alter ego, too.

I told ya things were going to get strange, LOL. This chapter is no exception...and doesn't necessarily provide a clear answer. That comes in a few chapters (we'll make the time-jump around ch. 11 or 12, I'm thinking). Hope you all enjoy! It's somewhat fluffy.

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><p>Stephanie turned her head in the direction of the wonderful scent, sniffing loudly. Her sleepy eyes fluttered open and immediately connected with Triple H's. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling down at her. "Good morning," he greeted. Tentatively, he reached out and brushed a finger down her bare arm.<p>

She yawned loudly and stretched like a satiated feline. "Morning," she returned. She rubbed at her bleary eyes and squinted at him. "Your eyes have some flecks of green," she informed him absently, while running a hand through her hair. She tried not to frown at what she felt.

He laughed and said, "Hence their description of hazel. How'd you sleep?"

"Extremely well," she confirmed while she moved to sit up against the pillows. She clutched the sheet to her chest tightly, suddenly feeling utterly exposed and a little vulnerable. She cleared her throat and nodded her head in his direction. "How did you sleep?"

"The same," he grinned. Sensing that she was the slightest bit uncomfortable, he turned around and averted his gaze to the floor. He wasn't good at this 'morning after' crap. In fact, he never stuck around after sex or allowed a woman to stay the night. There was no point in getting the aforementioned woman's hopes up. And God knows, the night and the next morning would be hellishly awkward. He felt that now with Stephanie, but it wasn't because he didn't want her around. It was because he had no idea how she felt about the prior night's events. All he knew was his own feelings. He woke up an hour before her and that gave him plenty of time to sort through what he felt and what he wanted to say to her. But, now that she was awake and looking just as lost as he did while he'd sat and watched her sleep, the words escaped his mind.

Suddenly, he brightened. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving." For emphasis she patted her flat stomach.

"Good. I made us some breakfast so come on in the dining room when you're ready," he invited before moving to stand up from the bed.

This was...strange, she decided. _But, not bad, _she immediately clarified. She would never have figured that this man had any domestic skills whatsoever. Recalling her thought from just a few moments ago, she pulled a lock of her hair in front of her face, examining it. _Crinkly_, she thought, twirling it around her finger. _Kind of cute. _

She threw back the covers and stood up. Her long arm reached out to grab the white, terry cloth robe that had been left out for her.

Nope, she hadn't figured him for the thoughtful type either. She wondered what other things about him she would discover.

They sat across from each other in their matching robe's eating in comfortable silence.

When her plate was clear, she placed the fork on it and sighed contentedly. "That was amazing. Thank you."

He grinned in her direction before taking a sip of orange juice. "You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it."

"How could I not?" She asked, seriously. His reply was a smile and a shrug. _Ah, _she thought. _So he's modest when it comes to this kind of thing. _

She took the initiative of clearing the dishes and loading them into the dishwasher. She felt that it was the least she could do, since he had made her such delicious French toast, eggs and bacon.

It also gave her the bit of space she needed to organize her thoughts for the conversation they needed to have. She returned to her seat across from him and clasped her hands together nervously on top of the table. "Trip-"

"Hunter," he corrected, lightly.

Stephanie felt herself blush shyly. "Hunter," she began. "What is happening between us?"

He sighed and rested his forearms on the table, leaning forward. This was it. Throwing caution to the wind wasn't easy. Not with the guard he had purposely built to protect himself from what he assumed to be a scorpion woman. But, he was no longer sure that was the case. They'd...made love. And he never made love to anyone. But, last night something shifted between and inside of both of them. Whatever that something was had caused him to want to protect and get to know her. To love her, if she'd let him.

_Love? God, what am I thinking? _Up until the prior night they'd hardly spoken to each other off-camera. It was possible that she wouldn't be interested in anything further with him. But, whatever had made her softer towards him was still there this morning. And it didn't make any sense how things ended up this way, but he knew that it would be a mistake to not speak up about seeing where this could take them. That's something else he never did – want to actually form a relationship. What was Stephanie doing to him? In a time period of about twelve hours, she'd flipped his world and everything he thought he knew about himself inside out. He needed to find out why. He needed to know if he was out to sea alone or if she was in the boat beside him.

"I know we said we'd keep the whole 'secretly unite, run your family off and takeover the company' thing as strictly business. But, after last night I don't want to. I mean, I was shocked as hell, but then pleasantly surprised when you came on to me. To be quite honest I'd told myself I couldn't trust you because you so easily played your entire family for fools. But, you're gorgeous, so it really was a losing battle for me to try to resist your advance."

Stephanie blushed at the compliment and nodded, silently urging him to continue. His side of the story was not only wanted, it was downright necessary. At least she now had an explanation for what she had...essentially woken up to. Their marriage was somehow legit and they'd pissed her family off so much that they'd bowed out of the WWF. That explained why Andrew was not the blonde she had made love to the night prior. If all of this was out in the open, there was no way he didn't hate her right now.

Strangely, she found that she didn't hate herself. It was obvious from the brief summary Hunter just gave that last night was their first sexual encounter. And well, since they were married, it didn't make her a whore or anything. Especially not since Andrew had broken up with her the day after their almost-wedding. Saying that you needed space and time to think was the equivalent of a breakup, in her estimation.

Hunter continued, "But, something clicked into place with us. Something more than just a physical connection."

"I felt it, too," she admitted, twisting off the cap of her water bottle. There was one nagging question that needed to be asked, though. God knows how mismatched she thought they would be until last night and this morning. Now it seemed like she should feel stupid for not realizing this was who she should be with. How they got together didn't matter so much. "What do we do about it?"

"Well, we're already married...and after last night we're acquainted physically," he laughed easily. "All that's left to do is get to know each other. I want to know the real you."

_Whomever that may be, _she thought sarcastically, taking a sip from the bottle. Given all the things she learned last night and this morning, she wasn't even sure she knew herself. How the hell was she supposed to explain any of this to him? That answer was simple; she couldn't. She wouldn't. She'd just have to figure out what was going on exactly and do her best to play along as if nothing had changed.

Hunter sensed that she'd drifted off into her own little world. The fact that she was deep in thought was evident in the fact that she hadn't agreed to or otherwise responded to his idea. In a casual tone he said, "If that goes well then maybe in time I'll get you nice and knocked up so you can pop out our babies."

Stephanie coughed loudly and tried her hardest to keep her water in her mouth. Hunter couldn't keep the grin off of his face while he watched her struggle with what he just said. She used the back of her hand to wipe the excess water from her lips. Playfully, she narrowed her eyes and said, "Not funny."

He shrugged, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Only because you didn't see yourself."

After a lengthy, playful and sweet shower together, Stephanie and Hunter veered off into their separate rooms to get dressed. They were attending Raw tomorrow and had a flight to catch tonight. They were going to spend their day seeing what lighthearted trouble they could get into in Dallas, Texas before they had to head to North Carolina.

Stephanie had placed the large roller bag on the bed and was rummaging through it. She tried not to be frustrated at the fact that apart from her underwear, she didn't recognize a single damn thing.

Halter tops, tube tops, v-neck tops with plunging necklines. She tore through the items quickly, tossing them carelessly onto the floor in search of something else. Short skirts, even shorter dresses..._leather pants_, she thought with a shake of her head, before chucking them on the floor as well. What the hell had happened to all of her stuff? Relief washed over her when she found a pair of regular jeans. She set them aside on the bed and her fingers closed around a pair of black, strappy high heels.

A finely shaped eyebrow raised as she stared at the item, turning it every which way in her hand, to inspect it. She never wore shoes this high. She had always found it entirely unnecessary to torture her feet that way given that she had no desire to be six feet tall.

But, despite the cruelty of the big heel...the shoes were cute. Sexy.

Still clad in only a fluffy, white towel, she sat down on the floor cross-legged and looked around her at the pile of clothes she'd created. And it hit her: she liked all of it. The only acceptable explanation for what she saw was that Hunter had gone on a shopping spree on her behalf.

It was the only thing that made sense to her, in the state of denial she decided to resign herself to. Unless of course there was a fairy godmother who specialized in delivering provocative clothing. Other than that, she wouldn't allow herself to think of the alternatives.

Almost as if on cue, her sight started to blur. She rested her elbows on her knees and hunched over, pressing her fingers to her temples. "No," she whispered in an attempt to force everything to be put right again. Blackness crept in from the sides of her vision and threatened to wash away the images of the present. "Stop it," she urged, feeling the veins begin to pulsate under her touch. This only happened when she was emotional wreck. She needed to calm down. She pressed down harder, mentally willing this to go away.

"Steph, where are you?" Hunter called from what sounded like the living room.

_Hunter, _she thought firmly. She needed something, anything to fixate her mind on. _I have Hunter. _They were well on their way to building something really good and special. She just knew it. "Don't mess this up," she whispered harshly, rubbing her temples in a soothing, circular motion. She couldn't lose herself. Not when she had a great reason to remember every detail about her life. The darkness receded and her vision cleared.

In surprise, she blinked rapidly and heaved out a breath. "I'm in my room," she announced, taking her hands down from her head to pick up a random shirt lying next to her.

He appeared in the doorway wearing only a pair of dark denim jeans. His hazel eyes widened. "Whoa, looks like a tornado blew through here," he joked.

She looked around her and chuckled, throwing the shirt back into the pile it had been in. "Almost," she agreed. But, Hunter had no idea they were talking about two totally different things. She'd avoided the tornado in her head that had threatened to wipe everything out.

"I may only be wearing pants, but I've made more progress than you, at least. Come pick out which shirt you think looks best," he requested as he extended his hand down to her.

Eagerly, she grabbed it and allowed him to pull her up and lead her through the suite and to his bedroom. It was sweet and definitely a good sign that he already cared about her opinion on his clothing choice. That, combined with what she had accomplished before he walked in, made her giddy.

She'd never successfully brought herself back from the edge like that. Then again, she was unsure if she had ever really tried. If thinking about Hunter was the key to staving off the nothingness that sometimes encompassed her and blotted out chunks of her life, she would have this thing beat for good. Because she was pretty sure he wasn't going anywhere. And as long as she stayed grounded, focused and strong, neither would she.


	10. Becoming

Stephanie sat in the production truck at the arena, armed with all of the tapes of her appearances from the last two weeks.

Hunter knew she was here. Before she exited their locker room, she had informed him of where she was going. He hadn't questioned her on why she felt the need to come, though. It was crazy how the guard that he told her was initially up around her, was totally down now. Apparently, he trusted her implicitly already. It was a good thing because she really didn't have a good explanation for coming here. Not one that she was willing to share with him anyway. But, it was also bad considering that sometimes she did horrible things that she didn't recall doing for reasons that were unknown to her. She'd never forgive herself if that part of her took advantage of Hunter's newfound trust and ended up hurting him.

_Why? _She questioned inside of her head as she watched herself embrace Hunter. Sure, she had good feelings for him now. But, back then she detested him. She'd turned her back to Hunter, allowing him to grab the sledgehammer and whack her father with it, securing the win, his title shot and their marriage.

Unconsciously, she fingered the gold wedding band on her left finger. It wasn't a bad thing. But, she didn't fully understand why.

"Next tape," she commanded the technician that was helping her out.

The tall, lanky, chalk-complexioned young man peered at her above his rimmed spectacles before nodding.

_Huh, _she thought. _So I did this to punish my father for that nonsense with the Undertaker. I can live with that. He deserves it. _She watched herself on screen, nodding at her appearance. She ran a hand through her straight hair and decided to have the resident stylist crinkle it before the show.

Her husband and his friends had beaten the hell out of Andrew several times. They'd even broken his nose. And she'd eaten it up. She'd interfered in the matches, slapped him and insulted him.

God, maybe she was a horrible person. Andrew surely wasn't the best fiancée, but he probably didn't deserve that treatment from her. And she did feel sort of guilty, seeing as she was never actually in love with him. When he proposed, she'd wanted to say no. Instead, she told him she loved him and asked for time to think. She mulled it over and decided that this was her ticket to being her own woman. Her parents and brother couldn't keep trying to control her if she pretty much belonged to someone else.

Except that they did. Shane challenged Andrew to a match for the right to marry her. He lost and she was overjoyed. Because there was still no way her family would accept Andrew. Not really. He was of a different upbringing. They thought he wasn't worthy of her. Winning a match wasn't going to change that and she loved that he had won her the power to truly rebel. To embarrass her father as he had embarrassed her by having her private things in her bedroom rifled through by God knows who. By having her kidnapped twice, forced into a ridiculous outfit and strapped to a goddamn symbol in the middle of the ring.

Throughout the whole ordeal she had shed endless tears wondering why this was happening to her. Who was doing this? How far would they go? She felt like an absolute fool to learn her father had been behind it all. He'd broken her and stripped away her dignity and what little strength she had, in front of the entire world.

Sue her. But, she wanted to embarrass him right back. And Andrew wasn't an awful guy. He was willing to stand up for her.

Until in direct contrast with her line of thinking, her family actually approved of him and granted their blessings. She couldn't believe it. Andrew was so glad that he didn't have to literally fight for her anymore that he'd practically become a fucking invalid. A "yes man." Whatever wedding plans her family made, he either remained silent or agreed with it entirely.

The only thing she had to look forward to was that it couldn't possibly continue once she was actually married. Taking over all of the arrangements was like her family's last flex of power. The last thing about her life that they could control before being forced to release the reigns.

She watched herself belittle him on television. In truth, her engagement to Andrew had been mostly a disappointment. He'd lured her in with his bravery and defiance. And she saw him as her way out. Then, he showed his true colors by being an agreeable coward. Still, it was a way out from under her family's thumb. Or so she hoped.

As she watched him cower under the new power she wielded with her husband, she couldn't help but think she'd dodged a bullet. She, Hunter and the rest of Degeneration-X might have been pushing him around physically. But, she couldn't help but think that had they married, her family would've done so in every other way that counted.

No longer feeling bad about what had happened over the last two weeks, she smirked. Andrew had no idea what had been going on behind the scenes with Hunter. This sort of served him right for instantly abandoning her at a time when she felt that she was a helpless victim.

Of course now she knew that she wasn't. She was simply a new woman. She was changing. She was leaving behind the old, weak, fragile, virtuous Stephanie McMahon, but not entirely. It was impossible to erase those aspects of herself overnight. But what she did know was that she felt strong, powerful and sexy.

Stephanie knew that as she watched the tapes of what she had no recollection of doing for the past 2 weeks that she liked what she saw. Immensely.

What she didn't like was the way some of these wrestlers seemed to be disobedient and unsupportive of what she and Hunter were doing. To cement the fact that she had changed, she would suggest to her husband that the next pair of employees to unite against them needed to be pitted against one another in competition.

A "pink slip on a pole" match was sounding pretty good.

She knew that she was Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley now. And that she would thoroughly enjoy it and forget all about how she had no memory of how she ended up with the name in the first place. That didn't matter so much. She liked where she was now personally and professionally.

Stephanie looked down at the almost sinfully tight, mid-thigh dress. She liked who she had become.

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><p>Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, as always! Paulluvssteph, I remember my mom and grandma rambling to each other about Not-Jessica getting knocked up by somebody or something. I try not to pay attention to their soaps they're addicted I tell you. LOL.<p>

This chapter basically serves as the bridge between the time-jump. And I have no idea if the whole propose/match/accept proposal thing went down in that exact order but oh well. If it didn't I changed it to fit the fic haha.


	11. Forbidden

Decided to do a double post for a couple of reasons. The first is that nothing really happened in ch. 10 LOL. The second is because this is the chapter I've been dying to get out. It's not a long chapter (I actually decided to split it up so that there wasn't 15 things to take in at one time) but it sets the tone for the rest of the story, methinks. Enjoy!

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><p>Nine Months Later<p>

Hunter was fuming as he tried to ignore what he had just seen in the cafeteria. It would do him no good to cause a scene here. Enough of this stupid triangle had played out in the public eye already.

Perhaps Kurt Angle wasn't the damn problem. It wasn't Kurt – thank God – that had made marital vows with him. It was Stephanie. No, Kurt was definitely not helping the situation. In fact, he was downright enjoying the havoc he caused in his marriage. But, other than beating the man senseless he had no control over what went on, on his end. Clearly, bloodying and battering him didn't help, so he gave up on the man-to-man approach. He had taken it to the man-to-wife level. And he'd made himself clear.

It was him or Kurt. And Stephanie had chosen him. So, he didn't understand what he had just witnessed. Yelling at her usually elicited tears and hysterics. Logic would be totally absent and he wouldn't understand a damn thing she said. No, he needed a rational explanation from her.

Hunter picked up his selections and walked down the hallway with their water bottles in hand. Repeatedly, he told himself to remain calm and collected. That was the only way he would get the answers he needed.

He opened the door to their locker room to find Stephanie sitting on the couch examining her nails. "I was starting to think you got lost trying to find catering, baby," she joked.

Hunter's jaw twitched with his irritation. He'd just seen her blatantly disobeying his husbandly command and breaking the promise she had made to him. "I was trying to calm down," he said between clenched teeth. He slammed their door shut and was somewhat satisfied when her face fell and she looked concerned.

"Why were you upset?" She frowned.

He lost it. Stephanie was acting so innocent, as if he had no right to be upset. As if she'd kept her word to him. "What the hell Stephanie?" He asked loudly. He pointed an accusatory finger at her. "You promised me you would stay away from Kurt Angle."

Her eyes widened considerably. "I have!" She exclaimed. "Remember me kicking him in the gonads during your match at Unforgiven? That was me, driving home to you that I'd stay away from him. I did that for you on my own birthday, no less. Probably because I felt so bad about your ribs," she rambled on mindlessly.

Hunter stopped pacing long enough to give her an incredulous stare. "I can't believe you're just going to sit there and lie right to my face. I saw you hugging him just five minutes ago."

"That's impossible, Hunter," she said, laughing him off. "I was sitting here when you left to get us something to drink and I was sitting here when you came back. I didn't move in between those times."

He snorted. "So you're telling me that I don't know my own wife when I see her?"

Stephanie shook her head. This situation could get very bad, very soon. She had to tread lightly. Hunter was pissed off enough as it was. The fact that his anger was misplaced was irrelevant at this point. "I said nothing of the sort. Baby, I'm saying you didn't see what you thought you did. You've got to be mistaken." _You are mistaken, _she thought firmly. The fact of the matter was that she hadn't left the damn room. End of story. This argument could go around in circles, but she would not relent on the fact that Hunter hadn't seen her. They could fight all week if that's what it took, but she would not beg for forgiveness, when she wasn't guilty of the crime.

Hunter glared angrily at his wife. He knew that she did relatively well at using her charm to get what she wanted. Hell, on a good day she could tell him that the sky was purple and he might almost believe her. But, today wasn't a good day and he wasn't about to fall victim to her puppy dog eyes or pouting lips. He knew what he saw and she wouldn't convince him otherwise.

Already growing tired of this dead-end argument, he offered an olive branch of sorts. "Can't you just apologize and then never do it again?"

"No," she answered simply. "Because I didn't do anything." To physically prove that she would not budge on her story, she stood up and crossed her arms over her chest.

She and her husband were standing as close to face-to-face as was possible for them. Despite the fact that she was a tall woman, he was still taller than her by a few inches even when she was in heels.

Hunter rolled his eyes and accepted defeat. "Here," he said, handing her a water. He sat down on the couch in a huff.

When Stephanie sat beside him, he didn't put his arm around her or otherwise embrace her as he usually would. The hand that was closest to her, he decided to use to hold his water. That way, she wouldn't get any ideas about hand-holding. He didn't care if it was petty. He'd be damned if he lost their fight _and _his dignity, to boot. She needed to know that she couldn't just behave any way she pleased and then come to him and expect for him to shower her with love.

He wasn't swayed by her. Not even a little bit. It was Stephanie's body, hair and clothes than he'd seen pressed affectionately against Kurt Angle. Almost as if to confirm his suspicion, she had turned around to leave and ended up facing his direction. Her gaze had locked with his for the briefest of seconds. But he knew what the hell he had seen – he knew this woman and her gestures like the back of his hand.

So he was positive that she had smiled at him sneakily. Like she'd reveled in the fact that she'd been caught. Then she walked away from her forbidden companion, past her own husband and into the hallway. He had taken a few minutes to cool down. That's how she had beaten him back to their room. But, it made no sense that she was denying this. He had no idea what she was up to or why, but he was sure he would find out soon enough.


	12. Mirror, Mirror

The last episode of AMC I saw was the one where Bianca died, I think. Or from around that time, lol. So Erica Kane has a doppelganger or a split personality? I'm lost haha.

So, for this one...did a steady progression of subtle hints before making what's going on a tad more obvious. In this chapter, practically everything from previous chapters is explained. Takes place the same day as ch. 11. Hope you all enjoy! Let me know!

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><p>"This has to stop," Stephanie whispered as she stared at her reflection. She tried to focus on the woman in the mirror – on herself, really - but the words written across it kept distracting her. They were short, simple and to the point.<p>

_He's not yours to keep._

She walked back into the main area of her and Hunter's locker room and tore a paper towel from the roll. She tried to use the task at hand to calm her rattled nerves and shaking hands. She imagined that her hands had written this while Hunter had been off to get them some water about an hour ago. It was luck or fate that kept him from seeing this shit. Right now he was blowing off the steam from their fight in the ring. If he hadn't been so ticked off with her he would've stayed and embraced her. He would've eventually gone into the bathroom and seen this. And he'd have questioned her and she would have had to cover her tracks. Not hers...but _hers_.

The strange happenings in her life had been sporadic for the most part. People claiming that she said and did things that she didn't recall at all. Things that were out of her character. Things that were often hurtful and caused gaping holes in her personal relationships.

Stephanie walked back into the bathroom and placed the paper towel under the faucet, dampening it.

It was never that difficult for her to talk her way out of these situations, because her confusion was never an act. She really didn't remember what they were talking about and balked at the idea that she had done what the person was accusing her of. This had only happened a few times until she hit college. Then the frequency of these sorts of events increased dramatically.

It was just lucky for her that because of the presence of wild parties, alcohol and drugs, she was able to pretend that her uncharacteristic behavior had been the result of one of those elements. No one had questioned her on it further and she just became known as the bookworm by day and party girl by night.

That couldn't have been more accurate if they tried. She'd realized that it was usually at night, that she...disappeared, so to speak.

To maintain what little sanity she had left, she liked to think of it as a compromise. Her own special way of coping with the stress and pressure of her schooling.

This pattern continued until graduation and then stopped.

She lifted her hand and began to wipe at the words written in angry red strokes of lipstick, while she continued to reminisce.

Andrew had been a breath of fresh air for her. He was unpretentious and a decent guy. But, that wasn't why she had been receptive to his attention. It was simply because she knew her family wouldn't approve of her dating him. Contrary to what people thought, she did develop genuine feelings for him. And she was ready to marry him for the simple fact that she would be a free woman. Free from her overbearing parents and brother. The plans for the wedding continued to come along fine.

Until she got knocked in the head with a trashcan and suffered amnesia. It was a legitimate condition and it had taken almost a month for her memories to return fully. Yet, when that happened she began losing chunks of time again. Most of the time it was like going to sleep in one place and waking up in another without having any idea how you got there. But, unlike in her college days, nothing seemed to be amiss when she came to, so she dismissed it as some strange side effect of recovering from amnesia. She'd visited a doctor and they'd informed her that there was no medical reason for this to be occurring. And just like that; it stopped. She chalked it up to the power of thought and prepared to embrace her upcoming new life.

But, that never happened. On the night of her bachelorette party she went away again. Originally, she thought she had been drugged, as Triple H had claimed. But, that wasn't the case. According to him, she was very much conscious for the wedding and pretending otherwise. It was all a part of their grand scheme to shame her family so badly that they'd vacate the WWF. Part of it, was maneuvering her father into a position where he would be willing to pit a chance at a title shot against his daughter's freedom from the marriage. But, she didn't know that back then of course.

She thought that her father would win, her marriage would be annulled, she would resume her plans to marry Andrew and that would be the end of it.

Stephanie had watched her father's match with Hunter from the front row of the crowd. Her father had raised the sledgehammer high above his head, preparing to strike Triple H with it, when she was hit with a bright idea.

It was her hands that should knock this bastard out. Because it was her life he had almost succeeded in ruining. He almost destroyed her only chance at breaking the hold her parents had on her. She wasted no time hopping the barricade and getting in the ring. Her father reluctantly passed her the sledgehammer. She poised herself to take out all of her anger, sadness and frustration on the human being that was responsible for some of it. Her emotions were like a beast that no cage could contain. Hunter sat on the ground in front of her, silently asking her not to do it. But, somehow his unspoken pleas for mercy seemed insincere. Her vision blurred while she became overwhelmed by her thoughts.

_Hit him, he tried to ruin you. Don't hit him you're not that kind of person. But, you could be. Do you want to be? He should look more scared. No he shouldn't, he knows you're not going to do it. You were unhappy with life way before he came along. I was. So, don't take it out on him._ Her vision had blackened at the edges and she struggled to keep it together but the warring ideas came faster and faster in her head.

And then she went away again. While she was gone it seemed that everything had changed. And this time she lost two weeks of her life instead of just mere hours.

Apparently, Andrew was out of the picture. Because when she returned, she was in the throes of passion with none other than Triple H.

They were about to have sex. She was too shocked for words as he kissed a heated trail up her body. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute. Then, he kissed her and they all stopped.

It was in that moment that she realized she didn't mind whatever the hell had happened while she was outside of her own body. In fact, she was rather enjoying it and wasted no time returning his kiss and using her feet to push his boxers down his legs to free him so that their bodies could join.

From then on, she had been largely present. She had a great reason to fight back, though. She had soon fallen in love. Maybe that was enough to keep her tethered to reality and not the nothingness she often experienced during her college years.

She was pretty sure Hunter was in love with her, too. Just like it was obvious that she adored him. Neither one of them had verbalized it until a simple misunderstanding over Trish Stratus almost split them up. Their marriage managed to survive that but the damage had been done. She was too stressed and out of whack emotionally. Ever since Armageddon she'd receive huge warnings that she was about to lose it. That was new. Usually she was just gone in a snap and was unable to react fast enough to stop it. But, after that amazing first night with Hunter, she was actually successful in staying present. It wasn't that difficult; she was happy in life and stronger than ever. But, the ordeal with Trish had threatened that. Doubt and suspicion weakened her defenses and she found that she was no longer able to win every single time. In consequence, her confidence in her ability was shattered and things went back to the way they had been.

She just went away too fast to be able to fight against it.

Blatantly flirting with Kurt Angle? She was never there.

Kissing Kurt Angle? She'd struggled trying to push him off...gone away for a few seconds and then come back to find him hovering over her while he smiled in adoration. All she could do was grab her hair in frustration at what had obviously happened.

Disappearing with the man after Summerslam? She had been knocked out cold, sure enough. But, she was exiled to nothingness right after that, because an entire day had passed before she was in control again. Of course she'd talked to Kurt and he'd reassured her that absolutely nothing happened...though he was confused as to why she didn't remember that for herself.

Mostly, the proof was there. When she had doubts as to what had occurred, the answer was usually no farther away than a clip from some televised event.

All she could do was shake her head at what she was seeing and try to figure out how to talk her way out of it. She was usually successful. But, she couldn't go on like this much longer. She didn't figure the "it wasn't me" excuse would fly the next time her body did something she wasn't supposed to. Nor did she think her rambling, crying apologies would keep getting her out of the messes she found herself in. Hunter would soon think she was a pathological liar or absolutely crazy.

Maybe she was. But, only she knew why.

She was not alone in her body – in her mind, to be more accurate. There were times that someone else took over entirely. And Stephanie was usually left to clean up the chaos that this other person left in their wake. In her life, really.

She'd allowed this other woman to get away with ruining her chance at a relationship many times before. And maybe her alter-ego was right; Hunter wasn't hers to keep. After all, it wasn't her that decided to marry him and take over the WWF as a way to screw over her family. She imagined that it was supposed to end there. She probably wasn't supposed to come back at the moment she had and she certainly wasn't supposed to fall in love with him.

But, now that she had, she didn't intend to let him go.

"You hear me, bitch?" She directed at the mirror. "He's mine."

"Who's yours?" Asked Hunter's voice from the main room before she heard the door close.

Christ, she had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't even heard him return from his workout. Before she could reply, he walked into the bathroom to greet her. "You are, of course," she purred, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

Hunter grinned and tugged at her ponytail affectionately. Then it hit him that things were still unresolved from earlier. Damn her for trying to distract him from the fact he was still pissed off at her. He shirked away from her hands and took a few steps back, making his face neutral. "What are you up to?"

Stephanie recognized the change in his demeanor and dropped her arms to her sides limply. He was still mad. God she hated it when they were fighting with each other. Especially when it was for something she didn't actually do. She glanced at the mirror, fully aware that she was imagining her reflection standing with her arms crossed and brow arched as if to say, 'I'd like to see you get out of this one!'

Instead, she turned back to her husband and said, "Nothing much. I just didn't like what I saw on the mirror so I was cleaning it." It wasn't the whole truth. But it wasn't a lie either. It seemed like that's all she could do lately in terms of communication with the people close to her.


	13. Fractured

Jess, I swear I finished this a couple of hours ago, LOL. But after my phone/email got your review I was like WOW too much of a coincidence to not post it ASAP. I was going to wait for a couple of days haha. Enjoy, all! Same day as ch. 11 & 12

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><p>Throughout the show and on the entire ride back to the hotel, Hunter kept his physical and emotional distance from Stephanie. He needed the space and mental capacity to think things through now that he was calm. Stephanie seemed to be lost in her own thoughts anyway. And every so often she would look at him and sigh.<p>

He replayed the events of the afternoon in his mind. She had looked genuinely confused and innocent of guilt when he accused her of being with Kurt. And if she had made that eye contact with him in the cafeteria, what the hell was the purpose in pretending she hadn't moved a muscle the whole time he was gone? It didn't make sense. And Stephanie tended to make sense when she wasn't upset. So, maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him after all.

Maybe he was just _that _paranoid that she would relent on her word. And that wasn't totally his fault, seeing as in the past she was unable to completely stay away from Angle, despite the numerous fights they ended up having because of it.

Stephanie always apologized when she was in the wrong. But, this time she hadn't. She stood next to him outside of their hotel room looking every bit as depressed, angry and confused as he felt.

He put the keycard in and pushed the door open once the light blinked green. They stuck their bags in the closet side by side and wordlessly. She was the first one to leave and go into the bedroom.

Hunter sighed as he watched her retreating form. He chewed his lip anxiously before following her. He entered the room to find her sitting on the bed with her head in her hands, her fingers pressed to her temples.

Christ, she was telling the truth. His lack of faith in her was causing her to get a headache from stress. Months ago she had disclosed the fact that when she was extremely tense and strained she suffered blurred vision that usually led to headaches. He'd tried to make her go to the doctor to get checked out but she refused. She didn't want to be doped up. The cure was for her to take some deep breaths, rub her head and simply relax. What he could do to help was just be there for her. He didn't press her on the doctor issue because her method seemed to work like a charm every time this happened to her.

The silence between them continued when he sat next to her. The bed dipped under his weight, but she didn't seem to notice his presence. That or she just wasn't acknowledging it.

"Steph?" He asked, placing his hand over one of hers tentatively.

She sniffled and took her hand down, intertwining his fingers with hers on her lap. Finally, she looked up and revealed her watery blue eyes. "Yeah?"

"I'm sorry," he said surely. "For not believing you earlier."

She shrugged, continuing to rub at her temple with the other hand. "I know you thought you saw me. Honest mistake. I wasn't upset with you." She gave a small smile.

His eyebrows creased in concern. "Then why are you crying?"

Stephanie looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "I hate feeling so far away from you. Like I'm going to lose you at any second," she confessed. Though, that wasn't entirely true. She felt like she was starting to lose herself as well.

Hunter released her hand and placed his index finger on her lips. "You won't," he reassured her simply before replacing his finger with his lips.

The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Stephanie. He needed to just get the hell over the past problems that Kurt Angle caused so that they could move forward. It was over and done with on her end. It was time that he join her.

That night, sleep didn't come easy for either of them.

Hunter kept dreaming about what he saw in the cafeteria. Something about the way not-Stephanie had looked at him was so very familiar. But, he couldn't pin it. It was like it was from a time too far back to remember. When their gaze connected he felt the coldness radiating from the woman. A woman that couldn't possibly be his wife because no matter what expression she wore, he never felt that amount of ice emanating from her. Even when she was mad at and not speaking to him, her eyes were never that damn vacant and hollow when she looked at him.

It was baffling even while he slept.

Stephanie's dream was longer and provided some semblance of clarity. It was in tune with what she had been thinking about her situation.

One version of herself was clad in the outfit she'd worn to her father and Hunter's match almost a year ago. This version stood, with her eyes narrowed skeptically and her long, straight, brown hair framing her face. Her lips were pressed together in deep thought and her hands were shoved into the pockets of her leather jacket. "You can't be me," she said firmly.

The other version standing directly across from her was dressed in a halter top, mini-skirt and high heels. Her hands were on her hips and one eyebrow was raised arrogantly. Her hair was wavy and tousled out, giving her a wild look. Her shoulder lifted in a shrug. "Wasn't trying to be."

The old version of herself frowned in confusion. "Then what are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious, Princess? I'm being _me_."

Straight-haired Stephanie shook her head defiantly. "I'm not this person anymore," she insisted, gesturing down to her clothes and referring to her prior weakness. "I'm more like you."

Wavy-haired Stephanie smiled gently as if she were speaking to a small, frightened child. "You're not a bad girl, Steph. Just leave that up to me," she mocked, reaching out to pat the softer version of herself sympathetically.

Out of nowhere, another version appeared. Her hair was curled loosely. She was dressed in jeans, knee-high boots and a simple spaghetti strap top. It looked like she was supposed to be the happy medium between the opposing sides. "Both of you stop it! It doesn't have to be this way," she scolded.

"She won't let me live my life," the good Stephanie complained.

"Her life was boring!" Wild Stephanie exploded. "She let people walk all over her and hurt her! And to top it off I had to live through it all. Even the things she was too fragile to want to remember!"

Both alter ego's turned to her and stared in silent confusion. What did this wild-haired Stephanie know that they didn't?

The well-balanced Stephanie shook her head in dismissal of her rant. "This is _my _life. You're both a part of me." She turned to the Good Stephanie. "You're who I used to be. You don't exist anymore. You've grown...into me." With those words, the Good Stephanie vanished entirely.

Bad Stephanie snorted. "With my help. You wouldn't be what you are now if it wasn't for me."

"And that gives you the right to try to destroy my marriage?"

"You're not even the one who married him," she pointed out. "It was just supposed to be business and he was supposed to be gone after I got everything I wanted from him."

Stephanie chuckled. "Bet it just burns you up that things didn't turn out that way."

Bad Stephanie stepped forward confidently and got in her face. "Endlessly," she confirmed. "It's wrecked everything. What we had before was working!"

Stephanie's eyes widened in false shock. "Oh you mean where I did all the work in life and you went out and made an ass of us both?"

Her eyes narrowed at the word choice, but she still hissed out, "Yes! You were fine with it. You never tried to shut me out. Now that you have him," she scrunched her face up, "you want to stick around too often."

"If it bothers you so much, why haven't you killed our relationship entirely? Why haven't you cheated or randomly dumped him when you're in control?"

Bad Stephanie tapped her finger to her temple thoughtfully. "You took over for so long that it'd draw too many questions. We're too much in the public eye so I have to be careful to not rouse suspicion that I'm not you. Slow and steady wins this race, Steph." She winked and moved to the side, beginning to walk away.

The use of her name from someone who looked exactly like her drove home that this was a totally different person. "Who are you?"

Bad Stephanie stopped and turned around. She threw an arm in the air as if she'd just won a prize. "I'm the queen of the night of course," was her flippant response.

Stephanie's brow furrowed. "Whitney Houston?"

Bad Stephanie slapped a hand on her forehead briefly and laughed. "Okay I'll give you that one. That's what I get for referencing the song," she shook her head in amusement.

"Selene," was what Bad Stephanie said and what Stephanie muttered as she sat up, fully awake in bed.

She covered her mouth and glanced down at Hunter. He was still fast asleep. She needed help. Professional help. It was obvious from her dream that...Selene had no intentions of going anywhere. And she'd be damned if she let this ruin what was left of her relationship.

Stephanie didn't know much about psychology, but her dream seemed accurate. She'd come a long way from her goody two shoes, pushover days. She was stronger, more confident and exerted the power that she'd earned by birthright and by force.

Maybe part of that was because of the existence of Selene. God knows it had never crossed Stephanie's mind to overthrow the company with Hunter. The best that she had come up with was to embarrass her father by dating Andrew. Of course there was the time that she and her mother united to give Stone Cold domination over the WWF. But, that was a failure because Vince just won it right back.

What did it matter anyway? With the exception of her mother, her family had come to accept and support her relationship with Hunter. They didn't try to control her and maybe that was because they were afraid that her husband would beat them senseless if they even thought of doing that.

However psychologically unsound her dream might have been, it made perfect sense. You usually don't just develop another personality for no reason. Selene had been created to do something. Her words echoed in Stephanie's head...there were things she hadn't been strong enough to remember. Had she been created to deal with it on her behalf? It was obvious that Selene experiences everything that she does. But, Stephanie had no idea what Selene got up to until someone told her about it. Did she feel that this one-sided sharing of emotional issues entitled her to run the show as she saw fit?

There were so many unanswered questions, but she was running out of time. Her marriage couldn't go on like this for much longer. But, what could she do? For work, she and Hunter had to travel extensively. It wouldn't be all that useful for her to have to see a new therapist each time they changed locations. And she didn't want Hunter to know about this. Not yet. Maybe after she'd fixed it she would disclose the ordeal to him. Better yet, if she could get away with not telling him anything at all that would be even better.

If she was going to seek help, she needed to get off the road somehow. Ruefully, she thought of how Selene would probably have some random, brilliant idea to excuse a lengthy absence. It wasn't fair that Selene was in her head, but that she couldn't get inside of hers.


	14. Backfired

Thanks for the awesome reviews, ladies! Nothing much about Stephanie's repressed past is given away in this particular chapter. But it does serve as an accidental, mean solution to one of her problems. You'll see...and hopefully enjoy!

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><p>Stephanie had been in control for three whole days. Other than the stupid dream her mind insisted on replaying for her, Selene hadn't made an appearance. Well, if she had Stephanie sure hadn't noticed. She didn't have the strange feeling that she was just waking up...unless she had actually been sleeping the previous night.<p>

Part of her was even scared to do that. Every time she laid her head down, she feared that days, weeks, maybe months would pass before _she _really woke up. She knew that extreme stress and anxiety were the catalysts that allowed her to be taken over. Realizing that you had a totally different person living inside of you that was determined as hell to destroy pieces of your life had to qualify for that.

And during the latter part of her engagement to Andrew, Selene had gradually and quietly been plotting to change everything. She'd succeeded. But she'd been so cunning and stealthy about it that Stephanie hadn't seen any of it coming.

What if she did the same thing now? She said it – rather her dream said that slow and steady would win the race. If that was true, then Selene wasn't going to do anything drastic. Like a slow-acting poison, Stephanie wouldn't be able to stop her until it was too late.

She still hadn't come up with a way to take herself off the road. Faking an illness wouldn't buy her very much time. A couple of weeks at best. It was unlikely that her problems would be sorted out that quickly.

While she contemplated, she paid very little attention to her husband's match with Kurt Angle. She understood that her reluctant love triangle brought in big bucks for the business. But, she was resentful that Commissioner Foley was exploiting it by consistently egging the two men on.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if the triangle was actually her fault. But, it wasn't. She didn't start this. Selene did. For whatever reason, her husband had demanded that she stay backstage. She was too wrapped up in her own worries and thoughts to ask why. Normally she would have protested. But quite honestly it might be better if she stayed as far away from Angle as possible. The last thing she needed was for Selene to randomly take over and cost Hunter the match. Or do something questionable out there with Kurt.

No, she was just fine with sitting in the back, thinking of excuses to drag herself out of the mess that was her life.

She heard the bell ring and Hunter's music play. Absently, she smiled. He really was a master of his craft. All at once, the music cut off, the crowd rumbled their disapproval and the bell was being rung frantically. She lifted her gaze from the floor and turned it to the television.

Hunter's ankle was in Kurt's hands, being twisted at a sickeningly abnormal angle.

Stephanie jumped up from the couch, exited the room and ran down the hallway. She had to stop this. The referees were too damn chicken to hit Angle to get him off of her husband. But, she wasn't. Right as she reached the gorilla position, Kurt stepped through the curtain.

He was breathing heavily and practically sweating bullets. But, he still sent her the biggest smile he ever had.

Like a deer in headlights, she was frozen and rational thoughts evaded her mind. Before she could stop him, Kurt grabbed her and kissed her.

She snapped back to reality immediately and pushed hard against his chest until she successfully got him off of her. She didn't take the time to mull over why he looked so damn confused; she simply slapped the hell out of him repeatedly. Wildly, she looked around her and was relieved to see that the area was totally and completely deserted. The last thing she needed was someone misrepresenting what just happened to her husband.

"How dare you! You try to injure my husband then you force yourself on me? What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled at him

Kurt gestured to himself with wide eyes. "Me? What the hell is wrong with _you_? You're the one who asked me to take him out!"

Stephanie wasn't able to muffle her gasp or avoid widening her eyes. Dear God. This is what Selene and Kurt must have been doing together just three days prior when Hunter had seen them hugging. She'd been plotting against her husband. She had no way to explain this. Nothing that didn't reveal the truth, but still made sense. She swallowed down the lump that had suddenly lodged itself in her throat. "I didn't mean it. I-I have to go to him. Please, just stay away from us," she requested before continuing on through the curtain.

Her long legs walked with purpose even though her heart and head felt heavy. As she approached the ring, she saw her husband curled up into the fetal position clutching at his ankle. With his other hand, he was swatting away the officials that were trying to poke and prod at it.

Tears sprang to her eyes as she crouched down next to him in the ring and began to rub his back. She brushed his hair back from his face and mouthed that she loved him. He was hurting and it was all her fault. The man had no idea what he was getting into the night that he made love to her. In her defense, at that point she wasn't absolutely positive about what was going on with her. Not until she was able to actually view the tapes of some of the things she said and did. Stephanie shook her head. That was a lame excuse. Whether or not she had been sure of Selene's existence, she owed it to the man she loved to be honest about her issues. Because at the very least, she knew she had problems.

With his help, she was able to stay in control more often. She thought she had it – Selene – beat for good. And maybe she did, right up until her marriage was threatened.

Stephanie sighed and moved to the side as Hunter was rolled out of the ring. That was no excuse either. No relationship was perfectly happy every minute of every day. Trials and tribulations were bound to creep up from time to time. She should have forced herself to think ahead to that very likely possibility. She should have sought help back then. But, she didn't. Instead, she'd buried her head in the damn sand and pretended that she was perfectly normal.

And she was, aside from the nagging fact that there was a totally different person in the recesses of her mind just waiting for her to show weakness so that she could take over.

Stephanie watched as Hunter was lifted to his feet. He hobbled along up the ramp on one leg with the assistance of two other men.

_Well, _she thought. _Selene didn't intend for this to benefit me. But she just gave me my excuse to stop traveling. _


	15. For You, For Us

Jess..."Steph, this is what you get when you don't listen to your sub-conscious lol."..just ROFL. Thanks for the reviews, ladies. I apologize for the delay on this one. Though I've landed a part-time job, I'm still searching for something full-time...so yeah lots of time spent on hunting and applying and a couple of interviews. Add that in with the fact that I'm practically my mom's personal chef and that in LA it takes two hours to get 30 miles away and yeah. Pretty much brain dead at the end of the day! haha. Enjoy!

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><p>Stephanie sat on the couch browsing the internet on her laptop. She was trying to find a therapist in Austin, Texas. This was the town where Hunter's injury had occurred and they had opted to stay here while he healed. The rejected option was to fly all the way back to their home in Greenwich and then have to fly to the other side of the country to join the WWF's tour once he had recovered.<p>

Despite the aggression and malice with which Kurt Angle had twisted her husband's ankle, it had been a clean break of his fibula – the small bone on the outer side of the ankle. That particular bone did not bear the brunt of body weight. In fact, many people continued to walk around – albeit limping - on such an injury. If he followed the rules, Hunter would recover from his injury in less than six weeks. No ligaments had been torn and the bone hadn't shifted. If either of those things had happened, surgery would have been necessary. Thankfully that wasn't the case. Instead, it was set in a splint. Hunter was a man that kept every part of his body in tip-top shape. That was the most likely reason that his injury hadn't been worse. Whatever the case was, it eased her conscience and Hunter's frustration at being out of action.

Hunter's leg was propped up under a couple of pillows at the end of the couch. He was lying down with his head on Stephanie's thigh. He didn't want to, but eventually she'd convinced him to take pain medication. Logic hadn't worked; that it was better to take it now to avoid further pain. Hunter didn't care about pain and never had. Not if the cure for it was medicine. He would rather grimace and bear it than be doped up.

So, she'd appealed to him from the perspective of someone who was in love with him. That it would hurt her to watch him in pain. He'd sighed and reluctantly took the pills from her outstretched hand and swallowed them with a big gulp of water.

Maybe it was bad to feel this way, but she was glad that he'd given in to exhaustion and the deliriousness of the pain pills. Now that he was asleep, she could get to work on finding someone to talk to about her issues. She certainly couldn't do that when her husband was awake.

She did an internet search for psychiatrists in Austin, along with the term multiple personality disorder. Her eyes squinted while she looked through the results. So, she had the name wrong. It was now called dissociative identity disorder.

After a few minutes of searching, she deduced that it was impossible to find reviews on therapists who had successfully treated dissociative identity disorder patients. And that made sense, since doctors were sworn to confidentiality.

Whomever had the soonest opening to take her on as a client, would be the one who treated her. Of course, she needed to like the personality and treatment plan. It was more so the first one. Once she had an actual diagnosis, the treatment would probably vary from therapist to therapist.

Carefully, she cradled Hunter's head with one hand and slid from the couch. Using her free hand, she placed a pillow where her thigh had been. She eased him back into a laying position and backed away slowly, making sure she didn't wake him up. He stirred and shifted slightly. She stayed a few more seconds and was satisfied that he was now resting peacefully again. She grabbed her cell phone and stuck it in her back pocket. Then she cradled her laptop to her chest. She rounded the corner and walked into the master bedroom of their suite and shut the door. Since they were going to be here for awhile, they figured they should be as comfortable as possible by having a large space. Their hotel room was the equivalent of a two-bedroom apartment.

She stretched out on the bed, propping herself up on her elbows so that she could see her computer screen. Dr. Jeffrey Price had been in practice for nearly 15 years. And he was at the top of her search results. Stephanie reached around and fished her phone out of her pocket, dialing the number to his office.

"Dr. Jeffrey Price's office. Rachel speaking," the cheery receptionist greeted her.

"Hi, I'd like to come in to see Dr. Price. Does he have an immediate opening?"

Rachel briefly hesitated with her reply. "Are you an existing client?"

Stephanie considered telling the truth, but then using her name to get what she wanted. But, she decided against that. First of all, she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be the client of someone who actually knew who she was. A part of her wanted to use a different last name and just pay in cash every single time. She didn't want to be treated by someone who was a fan. She wanted someone who could be totally objective when it came to her and her situation. "No; it would be my first time in."

"I see," Rachel said. Some of the excitement was gone, to be replaced by the dismay that this would be a more complicated matter. "You'd have to come in for a consultation to briefly describe your circumstances first. If he determined that he could help you, then we'd bring you back for an actual therapy session."

That was slightly more drawn out than what she'd hoped for. But, she'd bite. "All right. When's the next opening for a consultation?"

"Hmm," Rachel murmured.

Stephanie rolled her eyes. She could practically envision the reception poking her tongue out of the side of her mouth in concentration. Seeing as she had started out working for her father in a secretarial role, she knew that one would generally know the basic schedule of their employer. If he didn't have an opening for two days, it didn't take a whole lot of thinking to figure it out.

"Dr. Price is booked solid for two weeks," Rachel informed her. "I have an opening the Friday after next. Will that work for you?"

"I was hoping for something sooner, actually. I'll have to think about it."

"Okay! We hope to work with you."

Instead of responding, Stephanie simply hung up. She didn't know why, but for some reason the exaggeratedly perky nature of the girl bugged her. It wasn't like she was trying to sell her some merchandise. People came in to psychiatrists because they had some major problem that was disrupting their life. The fake enthusiasm was annoying, when you were trying to set up an appointment to get your issues sorted out. Friendly would have been enough. Being over the top bubbly for no reason just grated on her nerves.

Pensive blue eyes resumed their scan of the results on the computer screen. She bit one side of her lip as she keyed in the number for the next therapist.

"Dr. Robertson's office. How may I help you?" The friendly, feminine voice answered.

Dr. Madelyn Robertson had been in business for ten years. After years of internships and assistant positions, she finally opened up her own practice. Though she had shown up farther down the list of results, she was actually a closer drive than Dr. Price's office. That would be useful. Stephanie didn't intend to tell Hunter what was going on. She planned to exaggerate the time that errands took. That way, she could have her session, but also get the small chore done. It would also spare her from being a liar. She'd simply be omitting.

"I'd like to see Dr. Robertson as soon as possible. I'm not a current client." She decided to just throw the entirely of her scheduling conflicts out there. It was kind of like a preemptive strike and a way to save time.

"Let me see what I have here."

On the other line, Stephanie waited patiently while the receptionist clacked away at the keyboard. This might be a good sign. It meant there was more flexibility in this doctor's office than there was in the previous one. To pass the time, she clicked on Dr. Robertson's website. _Hmm, a new patient form. Efficient. _

"Aha!" The girl exclaimed. "I can get you in today at 1:30."

Stephanie's eyes darted to the right corner of her screen. It was already 1. Based on her loose knowledge of the area, she knew where the office was. It wasn't too far. If she left within the next five minutes she could definitely make it with a couple of minutes to spare. She surmised that she'd need it to fill out paperwork. And since Hunter had only been asleep for less than half an hour, she should have more than enough time to have her session and come back without him waking up. Just in case, she'd swing by a grocery store and pick up some chicken breasts and pasta.

"That's perfect. My name is Stephanie...Edwards." _When in doubt, default to my college name. _

"We'll see you then."

Stephanie ended the call and put the phone in her pocket again. Even though Hunter probably wouldn't wake up before she got back, she wasn't going to take any chances. She cleared her browser's search and website histories before shutting it down.

With silent haste, she gathered her purse and shoes and headed into the living room. She risked a glance at the couch and was satisfied that her husband was still out of it. After dragging on her sneakers, she tiptoed over to him. She crouched down and brushed a few strands of his hair from his face. It wasn't all that uncommon for his long hair to somehow end up attaching to his long eyelashes. She kissed his cheek and rose to her feet with a sigh.

"I'm going to get this fixed," she declared. _For you, for us, _she added in her thoughts. Their relationship all but depended on her successfully driving Selene away for good. And apparently his actual health seemed to depend on that, too. She couldn't allow this madwoman to just take over and wreck the life she loved so much.


	16. Nervous

LOL! Yeah, Selene's character is meant to be a little humorous since she's so flamboyant. Heidy...be nice to Steph..she's not crazy she's disturbed HAHA. Jess, what are you studying and when are you done with grad school (I tell people I might go, but I seriously don't wanna. Love learning, hate doing it in the rigid school structure even though I get awesome grades)? And yeah you're right about how MPD comes about. That's addressed in this chapter actually.

Shannon, haha that's always the way it goes. "Person A gets pissed because Person B hid something and they end up more pissed about the lack of trust than of the actual thing they hid." Though I do have a trick up my sleeve there. I can say Hunter won't be finding anything lying around. Oh no, I've got MUCH, MUCH more drama on the horizon than that. Already all nice and written out and even includes your PCD song request!

Thanks for the reviews, ladies. For the next few chapters it's really going to seem like nothing exciting is happening. Steph'll be in therapy while Hunter's recovering and all...until I blow that to pieces. Hope this keeps your interest still and that you enjoy the ride nonetheless!

As a side note: I just realized that when you browse for fic, the search engine excludes entries rated mature. So that's why some of you don't see my updates unless you actually go to my page. For the time being I've changed every fic rating to Teen...but I'll have a disclaimer in the more mature chapters though.

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><p>Stephanie sat in the therapist's office clasping and rubbing her hands together nervously. It was a slight shift from fidgeting in her seat every few seconds.<p>

It was so difficult to sit here spilling her life's story to a total stranger. To make it worse, she was using her own legal name. On the various forms she'd filled out, there was always a little clause demanding her honesty on what she was writing down. She didn't think she could get sued or otherwise penalized for using a different name. But this was America and you never know. So she had chickened out and filled out the forms under her legal, married name.

Thankfully the therapist that had been assigned to her, Dr. Ryan Morgan, didn't follow wrestling at all. So he didn't have any preconceived notions of her or her situation. But now that she'd apprised him of some details of her background she was considered a "high-profile" case. _Just great, _she thought cynically. Because she certainly had high-profile issues.

She'd been instructed to answer some simple questions and then start the summary of her life from the beginning. All the while she talked, Dr. Morgan nodded, asked for clarification when it was needed and jotted down notes. She had no idea why he was taking notes when he was recording the appointment on his tape recorder. The whole thing made her feel uneasy. Like she was some zoo animal on display for the world to see.

It wasn't the therapist's fault. He'd done nothing but assure her that this was a safe space where she could share her innermost thoughts without judgment. But the fact that she was keeping her problems from everyone – including her own husband just made her feel on edge. Like she'd be caught at any moment. And what if Selene decided to take over for good? Or worse, what if Selene wrecked her life somehow and allowed her to come back only after everything was an irreparable mess? Her alter ego couldn't be pleased that she was seeking treatment. Then again, maybe she was simply amused by Stephanie's efforts to get help.

She'd probably never know which one it was.

Most of the doctor's questions were fairly general and put her at ease. But they were escalating in intensity. Primarily because Stephanie had sort of demanded a harsher program. She only had 6 weeks to sort out as much as she could. Then she would have to seek treatment elsewhere. Most likely, she and Hunter would be back on the road by then. So that meant seeing a different therapist in every city – something that would surely stunt her progress.

So to speed things up, the doctor began asking questions that made her squirm both emotionally and physically. Most of the questions were related to her relationship with her father, brother and other males in the family. Then it turned to close family friends, babysitters and anyone else she'd been in contact with throughout the course of her childhood and adolescence. But she had no useful information for him, really.

She knew what he was getting at. In the homework she had done on the disorder, she knew that it often manifested itself due to some repressed physical or sexual trauma. But she'd have remembered that. At least she thought she would. Since a characteristic of the disorder was that your alter remembered what you didn't, it was making her question things a little more.

But neither her father or Shane had ever expressed any...well physical interest in her. Shane had always done his best to protect her – even if he was a little misguided at times. Mostly, he had been under her father and mother's thumbs just as much as she had been before marrying Hunter. He wasn't the cause of this.

While she had definitely known who her parents were when she was growing up, it was safe to say that it was mostly Shane and nannies who had raised her. Because of Vince's...controversial family history, there weren't a whole lot of McMahon family members running about. There was no shady uncle or cousin who could have screwed her up.

Yes, her family was downright horrible sometimes. Hell, they were dysfunctional more often than not. But none of them were capable of what this therapist was trying to investigate.

The catalyst was a secret that stayed only with Selene. At some point both her and the doctor realized that she would need to be confronted. The only question was in how they would make that happen. And would Selene even comply anyway?

"Well if we can't speak to your alter, we might be able to give hypnotism a go," the handsome doctor suggested. He had prominent cheekbones, piercing dark brown eyes and closely cropped black hair. The widow's peak hairline led your eyes to continue down until you reached the expanse of smooth caramel colored skin. He was a fairly tall guy, only a couple of inches shorter than her husband and around the same build in terms of width. The difference was that her husband had a physique that was chiseled to perfection and this guy was toned at best. And despite the doctor's handsome features, her husband's looks knocked his out of the park.

Then again, being in love probably did predispose her to being a little biased.

"Hypnotism?" She questioned. The skepticism was evident in her tone.

"Yes. You'll be in a very relaxed state, but totally open to suggestion, you could say. If I tell you to answer a question, you'll do it instantly. If I tell you to go back to when you created Selene, you will."

Stephanie's eyebrows raised in astonishment. "It's that easy?"

He tilted his head from left to right, tapping his pen against his notepad. "Yes and no. I'd have to lead you into it gently. If I pressed you too hard it could do more harm than good. But once your defenses are totally down and you're where I need you to be, I could dig a little deeper."

"The idea of giving up control of my mind that way..." she trailed off with a shake of her head.

"Well think of it this way. When your alter takes over, the same thing happens. Except she does so forcefully and without the intentions of helping you find the truth. To hypnotize you I need your permission and cooperation. If you need extra support or reassurance, you could bring your husband with you," he urged lightly.

"No," she shook her head again. "No way. My husband won't know about any of this unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

"He could help you through the process, Stephanie. In my personal experience as well as the experiences of colleagues, dissociative identity disorder is never a light situation. It's always the case that something horrible happened. And your mind shattered and created another personality to deal with it so that you could continue living a normal life. When you find out what that something is, you're going to need someone to lean on."

"I'll – I'll think about it." At Dr. Morgan's doubtful glance she insisted, "No promises. But I'll think about it."

He nodded and stood up, extending his hand to her. "It was a pleasure meeting you. I'm confident that with the right approach we can integrate your personality and Selene's."

"I sure hope so," she replied as she shook his hand.

Thirty minutes later she came through the hotel room door carrying two bags of groceries. One contained boneless, thin-sliced chicken breast fillets. And the other bag had a box of angel hair pasta and various sauces for them to choose from. They'd already stocked up on breakfast foods. And with the way Hunter ate, she could easily justify going to the grocery store every other day. And it's not like he could come with her, because he wasn't allowed to put weight on his foot. So that was going to be her reasoning for only going when he was asleep.

Cautiously, she poked her head inside the living room and confirmed that he was still asleep. She walked back into the kitchen and put the items away before heading back to her husband. Carefully, she reclaimed her spot and Hunter's head was once again resting on her thigh. She ran her thumb over his cheek and smiled when he stirred and glanced up at her through his heavily lidded eyes.

"Hey," he said with a yawn before stretching his long arms.

"Hey," she said softly.

"How long have I been out?"

Stephanie shrugged. "A couple of hours." Mentally, she couldn't help but think that this would work out perfectly. All she had to do was get him to take pain medication at least every other day. He'd be out cold for at least two hours if he wasn't bothered. That'd be just enough time to go to therapy, head to the grocery store and get back to him.

Still, she couldn't help but feel guilty at the lengths she was going to, to keep this from him. If she told anyone else about her rapidly forming sneaky habits, they'd probably think she was cheating. But the reality was that that's the last thing she would use the forced free time to do. If anything, what she was doing was securing the fate of their marriage rather than threatening to destroy it.

Hunter's eyes closed again but his light breathing told her he wasn't completely asleep yet. For some reason she felt the need to show him affection. So she leaned down and pressed her lips against his. For a few seconds they engaged in an open mouth kiss, her tongue gently brushing against his a couple of times. Satisfied, she pulled back and smoothed down his hair.

"Mmm, that was nice," he commented without opening his eyes.

Stephanie laughed loudly and placed a hand on his chest. He grabbed her hand and kissed it before intertwining their fingers. She could see one corner of his mouth lift in a lazy smile. "Go to sleep, baby. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Kay," he mumbled. "Goodnight," he added with a smirk before succumbing to the drowsiness again.

_I hope I didn't just lie to him. I'll do my best to make sure I really am here when he wakes up,_ she thought as she squinted in an attempt to force her vision to clear up. Selene was trying to take over again. But she'd be damned if she just rolled over and let her. Not when one of the main, best reasons to stick around was currently knocked out in her lap. And not when she was convinced Dr. Morgan could help her.

Stephanie was too close to winning to give in so easily. Not wanting to wake her husband up by untangling her hand from his, she decided to do what she could with her free hand. Her thumb pressed against her right temple and her middle finger pressed into her left temple. She concentrated until she felt the threat ease off.


	17. Love, Pain and Sacrifice

Thanks for being patient on this one, guys! And for not hating me for this almost total hiatus of mine. I gathered that no one reallllly wanted to sit through like 5 therapy sessions where absolutely nothing was revealed and Stephanie just kept doping up her husband. So I've summarized the content of those sessions to move this one forward a bit since everyone wanted to see the reemergence of Selene. The next chapter will basically be allllll hers. So enjoy and stay tuned!

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><p>It had been two weeks since Stephanie had begun seeing Dr. Morgan. And so far she didn't feel that they were making any progress with her problem. The frustration was taking its toll in the form of her headaches and blurred vision becoming more frequent. It was concerning Hunter, but she was able to play it off as it simply being stress from seeing him injured.<p>

Stephanie knew that it took time to see results with therapy. She knew that. But feeling and knowing were two different things. And she felt like her sessions were utterly useless up until this point. She didn't have time for the slow approach. Or even a moderate approach. She needed something that was hard-hitting and more immediate. She needed to know why Selene existed in the first place.

As she and the good doctor had established, Stephanie was utterly clueless as to why her mind had created Selene. But the doctor was able to glean that Selene was very angry with men it seemed. Particularly men that Stephanie was supposed to be close to.

The examples were numerous. While Vince had undoubtedly deserved what he got, Stephanie would've never had it in her to retaliate against him the way she did. The next example was that of Stephanie's ex-fiancée, Andrew. According to Stephanie, the man hadn't exactly stepped it up in terms of his duties as her future husband. But the things that Selene did to him while she was in control were almost disgustingly cruel. There might be more to the story, since Stephanie recalled blacking out numerous times during their romance. But only Selene could give insight to that.

The more recent example was Hunter. Selene wanted him gone and neither Dr. Morgan or Stephanie knew exactly why. All that they could gather was that Stephanie's alter was pissed that Stephanie fought back against total domination because she wanted to be with her husband. But Selene was going much farther than manipulating situations and trying to make Stephanie look like a bad wife. She'd literally contracted someone to mess with Hunter's livelihood. That suggested that Selene's issues with men were deep rooted.

At each and every one of their 5 hour-long sessions, Dr. Morgan had implored Stephanie to tell her husband what was going on with her. Keeping the situation to herself wasn't helping matters. Sneaking around was probably causing her more stress, which was weakening her emotional defenses. But Stephanie absolutely refused to tell her husband anything. Instead, she would charm her husband into taking pain medication three times a week so that she could sneak off to the appointments.

At Stephanie's insistence, Dr. Morgan was going to try something a little more direct. It was clear that Stephanie herself wasn't going to be a lot of help in terms of figuring out why she was a split personality. He was able to figure out that it was definitely something from her childhood. She began losing chunks of time sometime in the beginning of high school. But as the condition of DID went, she didn't remember exactly when it started. Her mind had blocked out the pain of whatever the incident was, by making her forget all things associated with it.

He had to work quickly. Stephanie's husband would be back on his feet in about four weeks. At that time he would begin training in the ring again. Stephanie could probably escape to sessions while he was doing that, but time would be dwindling at a rapid pace.

But telling Stephanie exactly what he had planned wouldn't work. Not when Selene could possibly hear and see everything Stephanie did and thusly guard herself against the intrusion.

Dr. Morgan sighed as Stephanie finished explaining how often her headaches and vision disturbances were occurring recently. He poked his lips out and tapped his pen against the notepad as he appraised her. It was definitely a gamble. But with DID there was no clear-cut way to get answers. With every case, the patient would have to be hypnotized or the alter confronted. The most effective way was to confront the alter. Hypnotizing the patient ran the risk of accidentally leading them into revealing something that didn't actually happen. But releasing the alter, so to speak carried its risks. Especially if that other personality seemed determined to ruin select pieces of the patient's life.

But it had to be done.

"It's obvious that you're the dominant personality, Stephanie. You said it yourself that you've successfully kept her from appearing more often than not, in the past. And even though she's trying her hardest to break free now, you've been able to resist."

Stephanie nodded. "I know. But there were times when it happened too quickly for me to stop her. Just like that," she snapped her fingers, "And I'm gone."

The doctor nodded and began to scribble on his pad with purpose. "I'm going to prescribe you an anti-anxiety medication. You'll take this three times a day. That should be enough to keep your stress level down and keep her from taking over."

Stephanie remained silent and pressed her fingers to her temples. She could feel the anxiety setting in already. In the back of her mind she felt that it was ironic. The news of being prescribed an anti-anxiety medication was causing her to panic emotionally. She didn't want to be on medication. God, how was she supposed to hide that from Hunter? It seemed like the list of things she felt she had to keep from him was just piling up. But if the medication made her so docile that she acted nothing like herself, he was bound to notice.

Getting caught would be imminent. But what else could she do? She had to keep Selene at bay somehow. And clearly the doctor thought she was incapable of doing that unassisted.

She briefly widened her eyes in an attempt to clear up her vision. She could feel herself fading into nothingness. Couldn't Dr. Morgan see that she was in serious trouble? Why wasn't he doing anything? He was just going to sit there and watch her struggle until it was too late.

Suddenly, she got up and walked over to the desk, slapping the pen out of his hand. "Fuck that!" She yelled. "I'm not letting her take this crap and keep me locked up!"

Dr. Morgan smiled. "Nice to meet you, Selene."

Selene widened her eyes and blinked. He didn't look scared or otherwise unruffled that she'd taken over or that she hadn't allowed him to finish writing the prescription. She huffed out a breath and smiled in astonishment. "You baited me."

"Guilty," he agreed. "Sit down and let's talk," he invited, gesturing to the couch.

Selene lifted an eyebrow and smiled. "And why would I want to do that?"

Dr. Morgan lifted his shoulder in a shrug. "You love attention. An audience, so to speak. It must get to you that Stephanie got the credit when you came up with the brilliant plan to run your family out of the business. It must eat at you that you can't fully be yourself, lest you be found out."

She sat down on the couch slowly, crossing her legs as she gathered her thoughts. The handsome doctor had hit the nail on the head. And why wouldn't he be capable of that, since he was trained and paid to read people? But she knew better than to let her guard down. Stephanie was his priority. Getting rid of her was his priority. She'd be a fool to forget that. "Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. What do you care?"

"I care because you're a person, too. Stephanie signed on as my client. You're a part of her-"

"You can stop right there, doc," Selene interrupted with a chuckle. "I don't need any damn therapy. I'm doing just fine. My self-esteem couldn't get any higher if I tried and I'm well on my way to having everything I want."

"And that would be?"

Her stare was cool and flat. "The pair of you already know." She shook her head and smirked confidently. "And neither of you can stop me."

Selene was talking. While she wasn't very forthcoming or specific, it was better than nothing. She could've easily just walked right out of the door without saying a word. But she was...intrigued for whatever reason. Somewhere along the way he'd hit a chord with her. If placating her ego would help get the answers that he wanted, he could do that. She was very self-assured and was no doubt enjoying the opportunity to express herself freely.

Dr. Morgan glanced down at his notes and flipped through them studiously. "Ah, yes. You want Hunter out of the picture. Can I ask why that is?"

"Doc, you don't have to 'shrink' me, all right? It's very simple. Stephanie's weak. She doesn't know how to stand up for herself. She doesn't know what's good for her and when she does, she usually does the opposite. She's so...naive. And forgiving. She doesn't see what I see. Because she hasn't experienced what I have."

"So your attempts to ruin her life-"

Selene wrinkled her nose in dissatisfaction. "That's not what I'm doing. Steph is just a very bad judge of character. I have to get rid of the people that want to hurt her. The people that want to use her and mistreat her."

"_You're _hurting her."

"It's for her own good. The only reason Hunter is with her is because of me. You think he would've taken Stephanie seriously as a life partner if there wasn't something in it for him? You think he'd have given a damn about her if it wasn't for her last name or her...well at the time it was 'my' desire to take over everything? He's just using her! She has this blind...faith and trust in him. Just like she had in Andrew, in her family. And they all let her down. They always will. I'm trying to spare her and teach her to stand on her own."

"Maybe she's not as weak and naive as you think, Selene. Did you even know what her thoughts on Andrew and her family were back when you married Hunter?"

Dr. Morgan noticed the brief flicker of annoyance in the woman's eyes. It told him what he needed to know. That the answer to his question was no. She had no idea what Stephanie had really thought of those individuals. That she'd been set to marry Andrew because she saw him as a way out from under her family's control. So Selene was definitely privy to what Stephanie actually experienced. But apparently not what she actually thought. That was good to know. And it meant that there were some things that Stephanie could definitely choose for Selene not to know in the future.

Selene sucked her teeth and waved her left hand in dismissal of his question. "Of course I knew," she lied. It was unconvincing because he'd already seen her reaction to the question, watched her deliberate on whether or not to lie and that logically it would've made no sense for her to marry Hunter if she'd really known what Stephanie was doing. "And I stand behind what I said. Stephanie was using Andrew to embarrass and humiliate her snobby-ass family. But it didn't work because she fell in love with the idiot. Little did the Princess know that she was the one being used. He was only with her to get in good with the family and advance his career."

The doctor nodded. "But at the time you thought she'd really fallen for him. That's why you made sure the wedding didn't happen. And you thought she trusted and had forgiven her family. That's why you made sure to pay everyone back for their misdeeds."

She gave an uninterested stare before examining her manicured hands. She didn't like the direction that this impromptu meeting was taking. Her instincts for self-preservation told her to shut her mouth and get out now. But her instinct to gloat was currently winning the battle. "They all deserve it. Why don't you just say what it is you're getting at, Doctor Hottie?"

"Well...seems to me that you're not in Stephanie's head as much as you'd like to be. You can hear what she hears, see what she sees, feel what she feels only if it has a physical impact. So if she's overly stressed, you can feel her anxiety, her heart race...but you don't know exactly what she's thinking. Do you?"

"Ding ding! Shrink school paid off for you, I see. But this isn't going to do any good. I'm here to stay. As long as Stephanie needs me, I'll be here. See, she doesn't _really _want me to go. She only thinks she does because I'm a barrier to her marriage. A marriage that she shouldn't want anyway."

"And why is that?"

"He doesn't love her. He can't. Sad to say, but it's rare that someone truly loves anyone in this world. People only want you if you're going to be useful for what they're trying to accomplish. Hunter is just smart about how he's playing her."

"What if he's not playing her? When she described her relationship it sure doesn't seem like it's fake for either of them."

Selene snorted. "Please! Guys fall in love with what they see and girls fall in love with what they hear. So he lies out of his ass each and every day and Stephanie wears make-up and sexy clothes. It's all one big lie that would come crashing down around them if Stephanie ever truly lost her McMahon privileges."

"You have a very negative outlook on relationships. And men in general it seems."

She shrugged casually. "Yeah, and? Didn't exactly have the best examples. A father who serial-cheats on the mother of his kids, tries to sell his own daughter up the river and-"

"Tries to sell his own daughter up the river? Stephanie's father?"

"What?" She asked innocently.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

Selene smiled, uncrossed her legs and stood up from the couch. "Actually, I think I'd better be going. Our hour is up and we _really _don't want to be charged extra. All this money spending might tip the hubby off," she winked.

"Are you going to release Stephanie?"

Selene batted her eyelashes angelically. "Well, to anyone who's not you...I _am _Stephanie."

Dr. Morgan remained silent as he watched the alter of his patient gather her...their belongings and head for the door. He didn't know why, but he felt the need to let her know she could talk to him about whatever had caused her to appear.

"I know it must bother you that you went through everything alone. Not even just alone...but _for _Stephanie. Because she couldn't handle it, she created you to deal with it for her. To deal with the hurt, the anger, the disappointment. While she forgot about it and went on living a normal life, you had to sit with it. You watched her try to have relationships with those that hurt her. Don't you feel resentful that she's not being appreciative? That instead of thanking you for all you've done, she's trying to get rid of you?"

Selene paused, with her back to the doctor and her hand on the doorknob. "Of course," she admitted quietly.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" He pressed, taking a step closer.

"Maybe."

"If you told me – told Stephanie what happened and what you've been through, she'd appreciate it. She'd...love you."

Blue eyes welled with tears at the therapist's words. While that was a nice thought, it still proved her point. Stephanie would love her and want her simply because she did things for her. Things that she didn't have a choice in at first. She hadn't asked to spare Stephanie the pain of her childhood. She wasn't so selfless that she'd volunteered for this job. But now that she had it, she was determined to make the most of it. She would do what she'd been created to do. And that was to do and deal with the things that Stephanie just couldn't.

There was no room to long for love. Love didn't exist. It was a fallacy. It was a four-letter word that people used to manipulate others. Stephanie refused to see that. And it wasn't necessarily Selene's concern if she ever did have that epiphany. It was simply her duty to protect Stephanie from what blind love could do to her. What people could do to her if she let them in. It was literally her only reason for existing.

"Appreciation? Love?" She questioned, with her back still turned to the doctor. "Doc, the only thing I want right now is a damn drink."

With that, she left the office with the intention of driving a wedge between Stephanie and Hunter. They'd become just a little too close to each other during this injury of his. That was sure to change after tonight.

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><p><strong>AN: **What did ya think? Have I totally disconnected with these characters or what? I'm mulling over the mischief I'll have Selene cause. Drop me your thoughts on what you think is going to happen and/or what you do and don't want to happen. You never know, it might show up! Also let me know what you'd like me to work on next. I'm currently unemployed (lay-off...damn recession lol) so I've got time!


	18. Limits

THANKS SO MUCH for the awesome reviews you guys! Hunter is awake at the end of this one. I considered splitting the chapter up but decided against it! Nothing more is revealed about what made Selene emerge in this chapter...she just runs wild and causes problems. Thanks very much to my regular reviewers, you guys are very much appreciated. And new reviewers, thanks for your comments...I look forward to seeing what all of you think about this chapter and future ones!

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><p>Selene hopped in on the driver's side of the sporty, black BMW that Hunter and Stephanie had rented before he got injured. She turned the key in the engine, grinning at the effortless, but powerful purr when it roared to life.<p>

"Hmm," she said to herself while eyeballing the various controls in the car. She changed the stations on the radio until she found herself some party music. She tapped her dented chin with her manicured index finger while trying to recall which button turned this machine into a full-on convertible.

She tinkered with various controls, looking around the car to see what each one did. So far, she'd activated the windshield wipers, popped the trunk and adjusted her seat by accident. Finally, she heard a low buzzing above her and she looked up to see the top of the car receding. Triumphantly, she smiled and exited the car. She swayed her hips in a confident, sensual way while she walked to the back of the car. She bent down lower than necessary – purposely giving the guy staring at her from across the parking lot a small peep-show of her ample cleavage.

Her soft hands caressed the trunk of the car before she finally closed it. She ignored the man across the lot and hopped back into the driver's seat, her hair being whipped behind her as she sped off right past him.

Selene reached into Stephanie's purse, fishing around until she found the cell phone. She wouldn't waste her time scrolling through the contacts for his name. She'd seen Stephanie's hands delete the number weeks ago.

Besides, she knew the number by heart. She keyed in the ten digits, activated the speakerphone and sat the phone on her lap.

"Stephanie?" Kurt Angle answered. His tone of voice was puzzled.

"Kurt?" Selene asked in a sarcastic, mimicking tone.

"What are you doing calling me? You told me to leave you alone."

Selene waved her hand in the air dismissively, though he couldn't see it. "You didn't do nearly enough damage to Hunter's ankle. Even from backstage, I could tell. So hugging you out in the open would risk me getting caught. He'll be back to normal in four weeks."

Kurt nodded, but he wasn't entirely convinced of why she'd rebuffed him after he'd tried to do as she asked. "Why do you care about getting caught, Steph? You didn't when you hugged me in the cafeteria right after Unforgiven. In fact, you made sure he saw you."

_Tricky, _Selene thought. _Tricky, tricky. _This was all Stephanie's fault. Had she not gone down to the ring to check on Hunter when she did, she wouldn't have bumped into Kurt and behaved so weirdly. She didn't have any explanation for him that would actually make sense. Then again, Kurt wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box anyway. And a couple of months ago, he was entirely convinced that Triple H was abusing Stephanie. She could work with that since victims of abuse often felt unable to leave their partners. She gulped audibly and made her face frown, hoping that it would somehow translate through the phone. "I know," she said quietly. "And I wished I hadn't...Hunter...well, he was very clear on his feelings when he got back to the locker room."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" She said quickly. "I don't mean anything by it. I just – I had to talk to you. You're my only real friend...I'm sorry if this is all confusing and hurtful. I just...I just don't know what to do or how to get out."

Kurt furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, wondering why Stephanie sounded so panicked or why her comments were so cryptic. "How to get out? Out of what?"

Selene laughed unsurely, playing her part of the confused, abused spouse. "This life," she responded despondently. "Hunter's a good guy sometimes. He really is. I just have to stop pissing him off. You know? I bring these things on myself. But I can't help it...because sometimes...sometimes I really do think I'm strong enough to be without him."

Recognition finally dawned on Kurt and his jaw dropped. He jumped up from the couch in his hotel room. "Did he hit you?" He asked loudly. "Did that bastard hit you that day?" He pointed at the receiver of the phone menacingly. "Just say he did, Steph! Just say he touched you and I swear to God I'll-"

"No," she cried out desperately. "I love him...I do! You can't," she began and trailed off. "Just...don't do that. Okay? Just forget I said anything. All right?"

"I'm not gonna forget it! You don't have to put up with this shit, Stephanie. You deserve so much more! I might not know where you guys are now...but when he returns, I'll take him out for good and make sure he never touches you again."

_Perfect, that's exactly what I'm counting on. _Selene smiled and sniffled loudly to mask her laughter. "Goodbye Kurt," she replied wistfully.

"Steph, w-" his voice trailed off abruptly as Selene ended the call.

Mentally, she congratulated herself. One day she might really have to look into the whole Hollywood thing. She deserved a freaking Oscar for her convincing performances.

Selene considered quickly. Hunter's ankle would be healed in four weeks and then he'd be able to start training again. She didn't know how long that was going to take. But she figured that at the very least, she had one month to do what she could to drive a gaping hole through this marriage. If she wasn't able to completely destroy it by that time, she had a backup plan in Kurt Angle. He thought the sun shined out of her ass and would do almost anything to prove it. It was rather useful and she didn't feel bad about using him in her schemes. That's what he got for falling so quickly, for someone who appeared to be mentally and emotionally conflicted.

For Kurt, Stephanie and Selene things were a rollercoaster ride. Every time Stephanie was around him, she tried to mess things up by either just being cordial or by requesting space or blabbering on about Hunter. When Selene was in control, she made sure to redeem herself with shameless flirting and explaining that her husband was a jealous whack job.

Blue eyes glanced down at her watch, noticing that it was a quarter past two. Based on her estimations, the pain pills knocked Hunter out for about four hours if he took two of them. He never wanted to take the damn things and Stephanie's charm was starting to lose its effect. Today, she'd been able to force him to consume just one pill. It followed that that would have him knocked out for two hours. But there was no way to be absolutely sure. She imagined that she'd have her answer when he actually woke up.

No doubt, he'd be curious as to where Stephanie was. She made it a point to always be there within a certain timeframe, so that he wouldn't wake up having to wonder where she was. That wouldn't be happening today, though. Not only did Selene plan on being out until well past his naptime was done...but she planned on returning to the hotel room being utterly and completely wasted.

That's where it would end for her. As soon as she ignited the flames by starting a huge fight with Hunter, she'd let Stephanie take over. She imagined and hoped that it would just piss Hunter off even more. Stephanie wouldn't be able to explain her whereabouts, state of intoxication or any of the nasty things Hunter believed she'd said.

And Stephanie had made it rather clear up until this point, that she wouldn't be informing Hunter about her...darker side, so to speak. She couldn't wait to watch how the Princess handled the fallout and the mayhem she would surely cause.

But in her attempts to cause a marital war, she wasn't going to be too reckless. Driving drunk was an awful idea. She liked living...and it was her job to protect Stephanie, not risk getting her killed. So, she'd head back to the hotel and simply do all of her drinking in the bar there. It was open all day, which was absolutely perfect. And when she was done, she would stumble her way upstairs. No harm done. Physically speaking.

To waste more time, she grabbed herself some lunch from a sandwich shop. She wasn't exactly looking to get full. But the last thing she wanted was to make herself sick from the alcohol. If Stephanie had a hangover she would feel it, too.

Thirty minutes later, she pulled into the valet area of the hotel. She shot the attendant who opened her door a wink and a wide smile as she stepped out. It seemed like a pretty good idea to flirt with just about every decent looking staff member, because there was a good chance that Stephanie and Hunter would run into them at some point. And if Selene laid the flirting on thick enough, the guy might be so bold as to approach Stephanie, despite Hunter's presence.

It was just another small step towards making Hunter think Stephanie was a no good, lying slut. Whatever it took to split them up so that Selene and Stephanie could just do their own thing.

Alone in the elevator, she waited patiently as it ascended to the top floor. She tousled out the loose waves in her hair and yanked her shirt down so that her chest was a little bit more exposed.

The phone rang at the same time that the elevator dinged to signal her arrival.

Selene glanced down, smirking when Hunter's name flashed across the screen. _Showtime, _she thought wickedly before pressing the button that would abruptly cut off the ring and send the guy directly to voicemail.

She strutted across the shiny floor of the bar like she owned it. Hell, she probably could...literally and figuratively speaking. It was only half full, but given that it was the middle of the afternoon, she wouldn't take that as a sign that this place was generally dead. She eased her slender frame onto one of the barstools, planting her elbows on the countertop.

The phone buzzed in her hand and she glanced down, noting that there was a voicemail icon. Hunter had left a message. _How sweet of him, _she thought bitingly as she placed the phone down on the counter.

The bartender was a man who stood at just over six feet, had light brown hair and caramel colored eyes hidden by long eyelashes. He was slim, but muscular. He was built much like a swimmer would be. Selene appraised him openly before grinning at him. She wouldn't mind going skinny dipping with him at all.

She noted that his hands were quite big, as he placed them on the counter palm-flat. He leaned in towards her, but kept the distance friendly instead of intrusive. "What can I get for the pretty lady?" He asked, flashing his bright, perfect smile.

"I'll have an Adios."

He nodded and licked at his bottom lip briefly. "That's a pretty intense drink." He arched an eyebrow and asked, "Sure you can handle it?"

Selene got the distinct impression that he was feeling her out. He was trying to see if she'd be receptive to an advance later on. Or maybe he was just an unintentional flirt. Either way, she was sure he would entertain her while she blew a couple of hours up here. Matching him, she leaned forward. "I prefer things that are intense..." she trailed off as she glanced up at his nametag, reading Richard. "So I'm sure I can handle that and then some, Dick."

Richard laughed loudly, slapping a hand down on the counter. "Man, you're a feisty one."

"You have no idea."

He shook his head, retreating a few feet away to prepare her drink. "I tend to go by Ritchie, though. It's less...I don't know," he shrugged and smiled. "But I like it better."

"I'll keep that in mind. I'm Stephanie," she lied. Since the whole purpose of this was to make Stephanie look like a horrible wife, she figured she might as well use her name.

Ritchie nodded his head in acknowledgement, before placing down the last bottle of liquor. He shook the cocktail shaker vigorously. When he was done, he sat a glass in front of her, pouring the mixture into it from a foot above. He sat the still half-full shaker in front of her. He nodded his head towards the drink. "A little extra," he told her. "On the house."

"Appreciate it," she said before grabbing her glass and taking a long sip. She was aware that Ritchie was still watching her, so she paused and licked her lips teasingly. "This tastes amazing. Thanks."

One side of his mouth lifted in a sly smile. "Anytime. I'll be around. Holler if you want me."

She grinned after him as he moved down to tend to the next patron. Her eyes rolled when she felt the mild vibration before the phone began moving on the table. She picked it up and glanced at the readout. Hunter was persistent, she had to give him that. Once again, she chose to send him directly to voicemail.

Two hours and two more ample – thanks to Ritchie – shakers later as she was well and truly drunk. If she had another shaker of alcohol, she was certain she was going to be sick. She threw an arm in the air, waving Ritchie over to her.

He came to stand in front of her, planting his hands on the table again. But he didn't lean particularly close to her. "What's up, pretty lady?"

"Just closing out my tab," she replied, with her speech slurring slightly.

Ritchie laughed, nodded and turned around to work the register. He keyed in the information and within seconds, brought Stephanie's card along with two receipts. "It's good that you know just when to stop," Ritchie complimented with a smile. "I was going to cut you off if you'd asked for another," he laughed.

"I'm well aware of my limits," she chuckled as she scribbled a tip amount that equaled the cost of her drinks, as well as a signature.

Ritchie took the signed slip from her, heading back over to the register. He came back with a blank piece of paper and ripped it in two. "Give me yours and I'll give you mine," he said.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're talking about phone numbers..."

Ritchie lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "For now."

Selene snickered, even though nothing was funny. She realized she actually didn't know Stephanie's cell phone number. It made sense, given that Stephanie rarely ever had a reason to dial her own phone number. She stood up and grabbed the cell phone from the counter. "How about this?" She glanced down at the number Ritchie had written for her. "I'll call you and you can just save my number."

He poked out his bottom lip in brief thought, pulling his phone from his pocket. "Works for me. Ah, there you are!" He announced when he saw the unfamiliar number pop up on his screen.

Totally invading his personal space, Selene tilted the phone downwards, so that she could see it. She saw the number and quickly attempted to commit it to memory. "Yep. That's me all right." She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him closer to her level.

Ritchie led the rest of the way into the kiss, pressing his mouth against hers firmly. Their lips moved together smoothly and Selene found that she liked the taste of the minty gum the man had been chewing not long ago, mixed with the taste of her cocktail. She teased his lips apart with her tongue and brushed it against his a few times. She broke the kiss, but pecked him once more. "Don't be a stranger," she said lightly before reconsidering. Stephanie would be in charge...and under fire tonight. What better way to pour accelerant on the flames than by having some guy calling and putting the moves on Stephanie? She'd be drunk, in the dark and in huge trouble. Especially if, in her surprise, she wound up defending herself against claims of kissing Ritchie. She grinned brightly and stuffed the paper with his phone number into the back pocket of her jeans. More evidence of Stephanie's not-betrayal for Hunter to find. "Matter of fact. Call me when you get off tonight."

He nodded his head like he was spellbound. Maybe he was. Selene lifted her cocktail shaker and downed the last remnants of her drink before shooting him a wink. Ritchie lifted his hand in farewell before Selene turned and stumbled her way out of the bar.

Inside the elevator, Selene rested against the wall, plotting her next move as she saved Ritchie's number into the phone's contacts. She'd be as loud as possible when entering the hotel room, ensuring that Hunter heard her come in. After that, it was somewhat of a mystery. She couldn't plan her comments; not when she needed his to bounce off of. The elevator dinged and the doors slid open efficiently. She walked off and made a left, heading down the hall to their suite. She dragged one hand along the wall to keep her balance.

Finally, she found the room and fumbled around trying to get the key card in the slot. After a few times the light blinked green and she pushed the door open.

Furious hazel eyes greeted her when she entered the living room. Hunter was perched on the arm of the couch, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Where the hell have you been, Stephanie?" He asked in a low, but acidic tone.

Selene snorted and walked over to the loveseat, placing the purse down against the cushions. She put the phone on the coffee table between them. "None of your damn business. That's where!"

Hunter's sniff of the air was audible and Selene rolled her eyes dramatically when she saw his eyes widen in astonishment. "You've been drinking," he accused.

She threw an arm in the air indifferently. "Ding ding, we have a winner."

"What the fuck is wrong with you, Stephanie? You disappear while I'm asleep...you don't leave a note, you don't call. You don't return any of my voicemails...and you show up here completely trashed. I want some answers. Now."

"Nothing is fucking wrong with me!" She replied indignantly. "Last I checked, I was a grown woman. I don't have to tell you my every move. Just because you have to be locked up in this Godforsaken room with your busted foot doesn't mean I have to be."

Hunter's eyes widened again, but Selene had to fight the smile at the flash of pain she saw there. She decided it was time to go and she allowed herself to think of diving off of a cliff that had no end. There was just her and the air. Her...and nothing.

Hunter nodded. He was undoubtedly pissed off with his wife. But he was also incredibly hurt. They travelled together...that's just the way things were. She'd never shown any indication that she'd rather be...elsewhere. The fact that she'd taken off, ignored him and returned drunk was a testament for how much she would prefer not to be here. "I never asked you to be here!" He yelled, decided that he'd let anger win. Anger he could deal with...he was comfortable with it. It was mostly what he'd allowed everyone to see. At least until Stephanie came along. "But you know what, Steph? I'm not going to ask you to stay. You've made it perfectly clear that you're going to do what you want. I don't need you here anyway...so go! Go if you want!"

Stephanie blinked her eyes a few times, touching her hand to her forehead. The room was practically spinning for a variety of reasons. Unless she was mistaken, she was very drunk. Then there was the fact that her husband was yelling nearly at the top of his lungs. What the hell was he so mad about and why was he taking it out on her? She squinted in an attempt to see better. "I don't," she paused and licked her dry lips. "I don't want to go."

He chuckled bitterly. "Funny. I didn't get that impression a few moments ago. You sounded like you couldn't wait to leave."

Stephanie shook her head slowly, trying to focus. Trying to remember what the hell had happened here. "I don't. Hunter, I love you...I want to stay here and help."

"You think this shit is helping, Steph? Huh? You think you're lending me a hand by vanishing, blatantly ignoring me, showing up trashed, copping an attitude before telling me you don't have to be locked in here with me and my busted ankle? If that's your idea of help, I should have you committed."

Stephanie's eyes widened while she processed his words. None of that sounded like her. That wasn't how she felt at all. She felt responsible that Hunter had gotten injured even though it was technically Selene that told Kurt to attack her husband.

_Selene! _Stephanie thought. _Damn her, she did this. _The last thing Stephanie remembered was being in the doctor's office. He'd been prescribing pills. She remembered feeling her alter try to take over. She'd wondered why the doctor hadn't helped her fight it.

"You're – you're right. I'm sorry, Hunter. I really am. This is all so – seeing you hurt," she paused and took a moment to lick her dry lips and compose herself. Distantly, she wondered exactly how much alcohol Selene had knocked back. "It's stress...stressful. It's stressful. I feel like it's my fault."

Feeling some of his anger at her dissipate, he shook his head to disagree with her. "It's Kurt's fault. He did this. Not you."

Stephanie didn't know how much talking Selene had done. But if Hunter's summary was accurate, she could suck it up...and lie her ass off. She would own up to every ridiculous thing that woman said. Whatever it took to fix this mess. "Things wouldn't have got this far with Kurt if it wasn't for me. Seeing you here in pain every day...it makes me feel so guilty. I had to get out for a bit. Try to take my mind off of things."

Hunter nodded, but his jaw twitched with his irritation. Stephanie was right, but his injury still wasn't on her head. And why in God's name did she think that getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon would ease her guilt and feelings of responsibility? "Uh huh. And how did that work out for you?"

Stephanie smiled dryly. "Not good as you can see. I'm sorry for lashing out at you. And for any other stupid thing I did or said today."

Hunter was about to reply, when the ringing of Stephanie's phone interrupted the conversation. He cast his eyes to the coffee table, indicating that it was fine for her to grab it.

Stephanie reached down and picked it up. Her still somewhat bleary eyes focused on the numbers, but she drew a blank. She had no idea who it was. She took the call, holding the phone up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Stephanie?"

Her eyes darted from left to right as she tried to place the voice. But she was coming up with nothing. "Yes, this is Stephanie," she confirmed.

"Hey, it's Ritchie!"

Her nose scrunched up and she began to pace while she thought about it. "Ritchie?"

"Yeah, the bartender."

"Oh right! Ritchie the bartender" _Figures, _Stephanie thought. Of course Selene had gone and made friends with her alcohol supplier.

"Did you make it to your room okay?" He asked.

Stephanie smiled genuinely, thinking that there were still decent men that hung around in bars. They weren't all pigs. "I made it, thanks for asking!"

"What's your hotel number?"

"Why?"

"So I can come up."

"What? No!"

Behind her, Hunter's gaze was questioning and confused. It seemed awfully fishy that Stephanie had given her number to a bartender.

"What do you mean, 'no'? With the way you kissed me and told me to call you when I was off, I thought you wanted me tonight?"

"The way I kissed you?" Stephanie asked loudly, her frustration over the Selene issue finally spilling over.

The conversation didn't continue, because the phone was snatched out of her hand. She turned around to find Hunter scowling at the device in his palm. She saw him square his jaw and place the phone to his ear, staring daggers at her the entire time. "Ritchie, is it?" Hunter asked. "If you ever...and I mean _ever _call my wife again... I will find you. And I will rip your arm clean out of its socket and shove it down your goddamn throat." With that, he ended the call and glanced back down at the device he was clutching in his tight grasp.

Stephanie swallowed audibly, her eyes wide with her shock and fear. Hunter wouldn't believe her if she denied the kiss. Not given the way that she'd pretended Ritchie called the 'right' person and that she knew who he was.

Tentatively, she touched Hunter's bicep and flinched at how tense he felt. Finally, he looked up at her before lifting his arm and throwing the phone across the room. It smacked into the wall, shattering the back cover and making the battery fly elsewhere.

At this point she didn't know whether it was better or worse to stay quiet. But since she had no idea what to say, she chose to keep her mouth shut. She watched Hunter use the crutches to head into the master bedroom.

Once he was in, he stopped to close the door. He gave her a long, enraged stare. "I don't even know who you are anymore," he said lowly before slamming the door closed.

Stephanie cringed from the noise and vibration before her bottom lip trembled. If she couldn't figure out why Selene existed...she would never know who she was, either. She wondered if Hunter had reached his breaking point with her. She wondered if he was going to leave her...or force her to leave. She wondered if her marriage was over now that Selene had yet again made her out to be a cheater and a liar. Her face fell with her pain as she sat down on the loveseat. She buried her face in her hands as the tears fell through her fingers freely, while she silently prayed that she'd be given another chance.


	19. Slipping

Hey all! Sorry that this update has taken so long! My old laptop is toast and I'm still waiting to get all my files transferred to my external hard drive (the guy is doing it for free and is pretty busy so I'm trying not to nag him 24/7). But I was able to come up with this! We get a little more therapy time between Stephanie and Dr. Morgan and you can say that some progress is made on her finding out what the deal with Selene is. But not too much. Hunter is in this chapter, but doesn't directly interact with her. Good stuff on the horizon there!

I absolutely loved all the replies to the last chapter and am glad you all are enjoying this fic so much. Hopefully I get my files back before I hit a wall with this one (I had perhaps another 3-5 chapters to go before I need those chapters from my old computer...my flash drives have very rough drafts of them...but the toasted laptop versions are way better). Anywho...hope you all enjoy this, let me know! And happy holidays!

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><p>Stephanie sat in her therapist's office, sitting on the leather couch with her head buried in her hands. She pushed her hair back and glanced up. "I just don't know what to do," she admitted. "Hunter will hardly even look at me. He'll only talk to me when it's absolutely necessary. It's been this way for a week now. Is it ever going to stop? I've said sorry a million times but he won't even acknowledge it. He'll just stare at the ceiling or off to the side somewhere. Anywhere but at me. I mean technically I didn't even do anything!"<p>

Dr. Morgan sighed. "But he doesn't know that, Stephanie. As far as Hunter knows, all the problems are being caused by you and you alone."

Stephanie waved both hands. "I'm not telling him. Especially not now…there's way too much going on and our marriage can't handle the strain of him knowing I've got an entirely different person living inside of me."

"Have you considered that your marriage is already under strain from the damage Selene is doing?"

Stephanie stared at the doctor. What a stupid question that was. Of course she'd considered that. Which is exactly why she'd sought a therapist in the first place. "Yes. I need you to help me get her under control. I can't tell Hunter – not while she's running amuck and taking over all the time."

"I understand your predicament."

A resentful laugh was her reply. "Do you? My relationship is falling apart because I have a split personality who does nothing but try to hurt all the men that are in my life or trying to come into it."

Dr. Morgan leaned back in his chair, tapping his pen to his notepad. "Let's explore that."

"Explore what?"

"How she interacts with your men, so to speak," he clarified.

For the next half an hour, Stephanie described in detail, the things that Selene had done to people over the years. Reportedly, anyway. She largely had to rely on the retelling of the events by that person or someone else.

Before college, she hadn't been a very social person. The pressure to attend a good college was high. And even though her family was rich, she'd been denied the necessary funding for attending college. It was up to her to do well enough in high school to earn merit-based scholarships. In return, her parents would provide her with the money that she needed to live away from home during that time.

So all throughout high school she was intensely focused on her studies. That had paid off so well that she actually received scholarships that were in addition to the ones that covered her necessary fees. She received some that helped with cost-of-living expenses and she was able to pocket some of the money her family gave her for that.

She'd had many would-be suitors during her university education. And it seemed that Selene drove them all away. That generally happened because she'd out of nowhere cursed the guy out and dumped him or because she got plastered drunk and slept with someone else.

After her sophomore year Stephanie had given up on dating, but had otherwise tried to keep her social life intact. The partying remained unchanged but at least no one was getting hurt from it.

The rest, her therapist knew. The next time she attempted to have a relationship was with Test. There was no need to rehash those events again.

"Tell me about the first time you experienced a blackout," Dr. Morgan instructed.

Stephanie shook her head, feeling mentally drained. "I don't know. There was nothing special about them when I was a kid. Just…one minute I'd be in my room or downstairs and then the next thing I knew, time had moved on. But without me remembering it go by."

"When did you first realize this was occurring?"

Stephanie pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "For years before I totally acknowledged the problem I kind of felt it. It would be like…I'd suddenly wake up, so to speak…and I'd look around and wonder what the hell just happened. I'd shake it off as just being absentminded and go on with life. When I was younger especially, my Dad struggled to make the WWF successful. Up until right before high school we were broke and both my mother and father worked full-time, overnight jobs to support Shane and I. Most of the business meetings were simply held in the dining room. I guess the blackouts started while he was heavy into negotiations.

Dr. Morgan nodded, finally feeling like he was close to some answers.

"Did any of these investor types particularly stand out to you? Did they behave weirdly or in a manner that otherwise unnerved you?"

Stephanie shrugged. "When my Dad was home, there were always people coming in and out of the house. Investor and business types. It's hard to remember everyone. I think I found them all a little creepy just on principle. I mean I was just a kid who wanted to dance. I kind of didn't get why anyone would willingly be cooped up in a stuffy business suit, hanging out in the house of someone who wanted to make large, muscular, sweaty men fight, grunt at and insult each other while wearing strange outfits."

Dr. Morgan laughed. "Interesting the way things change, huh?"

"Definitely. Once my father's vision was realized, I really got into it. I understood the talent required to make it in our business. I wanted to pursue dancing because that had been my dream ever since I was a small child. I figured after my dancing career I'd go work for the WWF. But once my knees went bad on me, I gave that up and got a new dream. One that I'm living now…for the most part."

"We've only got a couple of minutes left. With that time I'd like to urge you to dig deeper. The thing about the human mind is that it'll do whatever it takes to protect itself. It'll hear what it wants to hear, see what it wants to see, remember what it wants to remember. So what I want you to do over the weekend is think long and hard about when the blackouts began. Think about the people you were in contact with around that time. It's likely that you won't remember the specific incident that caused this mental split. But if you can establish some sort of pattern, it might help. We're quickly running out of time and hypnosis is a last ditch effort because of its potentially mixed results."

Stephanie nodded her head and stood up from the couch. She shook the doctors hand before making her way out.

On the way back to the hotel, she thought about her life. If she was getting close to unlocking the mystery behind her condition, that meant she was close to getting Selene under control. Once that happened, she'd feel a little more comfortable with potentially broaching the subject with Hunter. She could lightly explain the situation but be telling the truth when she said it wouldn't be much of a problem. She couldn't tell him now; not when there was still so much she didn't know. And her mantra was that she couldn't tell what she didn't know.

At the red light, she ran a hand through her hair. The first blackout – that she could recall anyway – had definitely happened while Vince was trying to gain funding for the WWF. But like she'd told the doctor, she couldn't possibly remember all the people who'd trampled in and out of her house and backyard.

Most of the time, she'd been in her room with the door shut, dancing away to her favorite tracks. If that's what she'd been doing, her father didn't come knock on her door to make her introduce herself. The only time she'd met investors is if she happened to come home from school or dance practice and they were already there. Or if she got thirsty and wandered out into the kitchen for a drink. Other than that, Vince liked to keep business separated from personal.

_My, how that would change in the years to come, _Stephanie thought. By the time she entered the WWF Vince was willingly using his family members as pawns in his ridiculous games with the roster.

Stephanie mused that finally having his dreams and goals achieved had driven the old goat crazy. Having nothing else to accomplish, he had to make things more interesting. He'd gone mad with and been seduced by the power he wielded.

That was the only explanation she could come up with for the transformation.

She opened the door to the hotel room slowly, not wanting to wake Hunter up. He'd been sleeping on the couch when she left. It was progress in the right direction. For the first couple of days after the bartender fiasco, he'd literally stayed holed up in the master bedroom. If he needed something, he'd yell to her and she'd bring it. She took it as a good sign that he was at least coming out in the open again.

And even though things were far from good, at least he was still taking the pain medication.

From where she stood at the end of the couch, she admired him. He looked so peaceful while he slept. Not angry, not disappointed. Just content. Her eyes began to tear up as she wished that things could be different. That she'd see that sparkle in his eyes or at least a smile, when he looked at her. Actually, she wished he'd look at her for more than one second, period.

She was determined that she would be able to win his adoration again. Hunter was a large part of why she even cared about restoring her mental health.

Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she walked over to him cautiously and stroked his stubbly cheek with her index finger. Before she got too comfortable and he ruined the moment by staring daggers at her before averting his gaze elsewhere, she backed away and headed for the secondary bedroom.

Hearing her light footsteps retreating, Hunter opened his eyes narrowly. He was just in time to see her take a few steps before closing the door behind her.

Just what the hell was Stephanie up to now? He had figured out that something was up because of the pattern she probably didn't even realize she'd created.

See, during this time where he was mentally and emotionally apart from her, he'd been able to think clearly.

Stephanie had only been adamant that he took the pain pills on certain days; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If he rejected them the other days, she didn't press the issue. But he damn sure didn't need the pills anymore.

Hunter carefully sat up on the couch, planting his feet on the floor in front of him. With a small grunt of effort, he stood up.

In case Stephanie decided to come back out, he tucked the crutches under his right arm, walking into the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and grabbed himself a bottle of water. His suspicious hazel eyes scanned the shelves, noting that nothing new had appeared.

When Stephanie had handed him the pills, she didn't mention that she'd be heading out while he was supposedly asleep. He'd lain on the couch the entire time and knew that she'd been gone for nearly an hour and a half.

Unlike some of the other days that he'd actually swallowed the pills, she clearly hadn't gone shopping. And he'd seen her for a couple of seconds before she closed the door to the bedroom he'd deemed as hers. So he knew she hadn't gone to get her hair done since it looked exactly the same. She didn't seem intoxicated so that was ruled out.

There were a couple other reasonable explanations. Other things she could be doing with the free time. But they didn't ring true either. He knew exactly how he was going to play this. He would mask his anger and suspicion of her and play the sweet, loving, gullible spouse. Either he'd guilt her into a confession, catch her in a lie…

Or lull her into a false sense of security that caused her to slip up some more. One way or another, he'd get to the truth. But as he thought of the tender way she'd touched his cheek and the hurt expression that had consistently been on her face for a week, he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted the truth – whatever it turned out to be.

The bottom line was that he did really and truly love her. And most of the time he believed that she loved him back. But he wouldn't be played for a fool. Not by her or anyone else. So whatever she was doing in the darkness was going to come to light. He'd make sure of it.


	20. Don't Cry

We're almost there, guys! As far as the reveal. Once that happens this fic is over for the most part. There might be another chapter or two, to tie up loose ends but that's it. This will end at - if not before - chapter 30. Originally Selene was going to make an appearance (she was going to head over to someone's hotel room, but Stephanie would've taken over...but that made no sense whatsoever lol). So, she's absent in this chapter but might be in 21 or 22. I haven't decided which one yet.

There is some language and some sexual content in this one. It's also lengthy because a lot happens. Hope you all enjoy this, let me know! The faster you guys review, the faster I make myself work on and post an update :-D

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><p>The door to the master bedroom was cracked instead of closed. Just another sliver of progress she was making with Hunter. Even though it wasn't fully closed, she still knocked to announce her presence while she pushed it the rest of the way open.<p>

Hunter was propped up against a couple of pillows on the bed, watching old wrestling clips. He turned his attention from the television, to her and she was pleasantly surprised that his face was neutral instead of enraged or disappointed. "Hey Steph. What's up?"

_Steph? _She thought excitedly. _More progress. And he's looked at me for a full five seconds, yes! _"I'm gonna go make some dinner. Would you like some?"

This time, she got a small smile out of him. "I'd like that. Thanks."

Maybe this was the breakthrough she had been desperately hoping for. Hunter was even being polite to her again. Things weren't completely the way they had been; he wasn't showing her any affection per se but she knew that it was only a matter of time before he came around.

To Stephanie's surprise yet again, Hunter came into the living room to eat. She had anticipated that she'd make his plate, give it to him in the bedroom and then eat alone elsewhere.

But she didn't want to get too hopeful. She wasn't just going to plop down next to him and risk rejection. Instead, she brought their two plates over to the couch with her. She sat his down in front of him on the coffee table. He looked up at her and saw her questioning gaze. He patted the space next to him and she sat down, unable to hide her smile.

They ate in a silence that was comfortable for the most part. The bit of uneasiness she felt was from her own feelings. Had Hunter forgiven her all the way? Or was he still pissed, but feeling badly that the situation was making her so sad? She didn't have the answers and she was too chicken to outright ask him.

She'd made herself a bit less food than she'd made him, so she waited patiently until he was finished. She reached out to grab the plate, but was stopped by Hunter's hand clasping her wrist. She turned to look at him quizzically, watching as he used the remote to shut the television off.

Hunter let her go but his intense stare kept her right where she was. "I don't like fighting with you," he said simply.

Stephanie shook her head and blinked back the tears that attempted to pool up in her eyes. "I don't like fighting with you, either."

"Good. In order for that not to happen, I need you to go back to being the woman I married. This – this other person isn't you, Stephanie. And I don't like her or what she's been doing," he said angrily.

Stephanie bit down on her lip to remind herself not to say anything stupid. Something sarcastic that indicated he actually had no idea just how right he was in his assessment. Then again, he was also wrong. Selene was technically the woman he had married. Stephanie was just the one he happened to have merged his life with. He was pissed. And rightfully so. But she also detected the pain in his beautiful brown eyes. Pain that she was responsible for, despite her best efforts to the contrary. "I never wanted to hurt you."

At this, Hunter turned away from her and stared ahead at nothing in particular. She watched his expression carefully, seeing his Adam's apple bob up and down when he swallowed harshly. He placed his forearms on his knees and leaned forward. "Yeah? Well, you did."

"I'm sorry," she said softly, quelling the instinct to reach out and touch him.

Hunter turned his head slightly to look at her. "I know you're sorry. You're always sorry, Stephanie."

_Back to my full name again, _she thought dismally.

Hunter continued, "But I don't need your apologies _after _you've done something bad. We weren't supposed to be a real couple. It was just supposed to be business. We did everything backwards and maybe you regret us and this behavior is your way of telling me."

Hunter paused and used the silence to think about what he'd just said. What he told her made sense in his head but not in his heart. Getting married had been Stephanie's idea. It was Stephanie who'd come on to him on Christmas. It was Stephanie who'd asked what their lovemaking meant, the following morning. When she wasn't behaving like a teenager with a rebellious streak, he could feel that she loved him without even actively trying. He took a deep breath before continuing. "But if I'm wrong… If this marriage is still something that you want then I need you to think about shit before you do it. I need you to remember that you're married to me when you're suddenly overcome with the urge to kiss some other person or to get wasted in the middle of the afternoon. This crap needs to stop."

Dismissing the possibility that he didn't want her to touch him, she immediately reached out and grabbed the bare arm that was nearest to her anyway. She actively ignored the fact that this was the most contact she'd had with him in a week. "It will," she assured him. "It will stop, I promise you. I-I-you're right I haven't been myself in the last few months," she stammered out through the tears she didn't bother trying to keep at bay. "I don't know why that is, but it's going to stop because I do want us to stay together. I want that more than anything."

Hunter nodded and placed his hand on top of hers, squeezing before he let it go. "Don't cry," he told her softly before using the armrest of the couch to push himself to a standing position. Stephanie watched the way his arm and back muscles moved as he grabbed the crutches and prepared to leave her. "Just…do better," he suggested as an alternative. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he turned and hobbled his way back to the master bedroom.

Stephanie watched him go, but she wasn't sure how she felt. The conversation had been a plus in some ways; he obviously still loved her and had at least somewhat forgiven her. But the things that Selene had been doing and saying had conveyed to her husband that she wanted out of the marriage. She just…needed to get herself and her emotions under control so that she'd be able to keep the madwoman at bay and her relationship intact.

Hunter's voice broke her out of her train of thought. "Are you coming?" He asked. She looked up and saw him jerk his head in the direction of the master bedroom.

"You want me to come?" She asked, with her surprise all too evident in her voice.

He nodded. "The other side of the bed gets pretty cold when you're not lying there," he informed her casually.

She let out a desperate, relieved laugh as she stood up. She was glad that she was no longer banished from the bedroom and from sleeping next to him. It was a sign that he had truly forgiven her and possibly even trusted her again. "I know the feeling."

When Hunter was convinced that she'd be joining him shortly, he continued to crutch his way on into the bedroom. He left the door open and sat the crutches against the wall near the bed before sitting down and adjusting his body so that he could stretch his legs.

From the room he could hear her dropping the dishes in the sudsy water she'd made. Stephanie came in after a few minutes and Hunter beckoned her over to the bed by crooking a finger.

Stephanie began to walk to the other side and Hunter stopped her with, "Not over there."

With a puzzled frown she walked over to his side and sat down near the foot of the bed.

"Not there either," he told her with an amused smirk.

She raised an eyebrow in astonishment but she got up from her seated position and moved so that she was straddling him instead.

One of Hunter's arms went around her waist. With his free hand he cupped her cheek before leaning forward and pressing his lips against hers. Stephanie wasn't entirely sure what she should do with her hands at that moment, so she settled on bracing herself using the pillows. Without wasting much time, her husband deepened their kiss, battling her tongue with his.

To say that she was taken aback was an understatement. Half an hour ago she was scared to so much as breathe near him. And now he was here making out with her so eagerly that it hardly felt like anything had gone wrong between them. Maybe he was just making up for lost time. It had been a long three weeks.

At the very beginning of the injury Hunter had really needed his rest. And for the last week, he'd been interacting with her as little as possible.

There'd be absolutely no complaints from her end. She'd be more than happy to reconnect with him physically.

After Hunter felt that he'd made it perfectly obvious what he wanted to do with her, he broke their kiss and relaxed against the pillows.

Finally feeling at ease around him again, Stephanie touched one hand to his shoulder and placed the other on his chest. "Are you sure about this?" She questioned. The last thing she wanted to do was have him somehow injure himself further.

"My ankle is busted; the rest of me is in perfect working order," was his cheeky comment before he grabbed the back of her head and pulled her down so he could kiss her again.

Sometime later, a faint ringing woke Stephanie up. She carefully disentangled herself from Hunter's arms and stood up from the bed. She looked at him, making sure he was still sleeping. She grabbed the terry cloth robe slung over the edge of the bed and pulled it on before heading for the living room. She glanced back at her sleeping husband one more time before closing the door to the master bedroom.

She jogged lightly until she finally reached her cell phone. She didn't bother to check the number; she was far too disoriented. "Hello?" She answered.

"Stephanie, it's Ritchie. Ritchie the bartender," he reminded her.

Her forehead crinkled in confusion. Had Hunter's threats of dismemberment and choking been too subtle? "Uh, hi."

"Listen I'll make this quick. I still want to see you," he confessed.

A low chuckle managed to escape her lips. "I don't care. No way."

"I work at the hotel. I have friends who work here, too. I know you're in room 1129 and I will come up there and tell your husband all about what you've been up to around here."

"Oh please," Stephanie huffed. Despite the fact that she had no idea who this guy actually was or what he was capable of, she'd chance her luck anyway. "He will kick your ass so quickly it'd make your head spin."

Ritchie laughed. "I'm deathly afraid of the guy on the crutches. Let me make this clear. You're going to come down to my room. We're going to talk."

"We're talking now," Stephanie tried to protest. But the icy stab of fear had already hit her spine. The fact of the matter was that this guy had obviously done his homework. And Hunter probably wasn't in any condition to fight some guy off. This was all her fault…well it was Selene's fault, but Selene was a part of her.

"I want to talk face to face and alone. You've got ten minutes to get down to room 169."

Before she could reply, Ritchie hung up. Stephanie shook her hands out as if they were dripping wet with water. What the hell was she going to do? She didn't know Ritchie but he seemed serious with his threat. And she couldn't take that chance. Not when Selene had made out with the guy and God knows who else. He'd come up here, get Hunter all pissed off and blow the progress they'd made to smithereens. And worse, was that Hunter would probably get physically hurt in the process.

No. No, she'd handle this her way and on her own. If Ritchie intended to do anything other than talk, she'd insist that it wasn't happening.

Stephanie hurried into the second bedroom and threw on a pair of jeans and a hoodie. Maybe that would help communicate to this guy that she wasn't interested in him sexually.

She did her best to keep her calm. To keep her vision clear using her focus on the tasks at hand. Selene was trying to take over, but she wasn't going to let her.

Knowing her alter, she knew that it was highly likely she'd go down there and screw the guy and make sure Hunter found out about it. Stephanie refused to allow that to happen.

Five minutes later and Stephanie was knocking on Ritchie's hotel room door. She looked all around her nervously, noting that she didn't see any cameras lurking around.

The door opened but she didn't have time to register it, before she was yanked inside the room by her arm. Ritchie pushed her up against the wall and kissed her on the mouth.

She struggled to put her hands between them, pushing until he got off of her. She wiped her mouth angrily. "What the _hell _do you think you're doing?"

"Exactly what we were going to until your crippled husband got in the way."

Ritchie was partially blocking her exit, so she backed up in the opposite direction. "I didn't come here to have sex with you. I came to talk," she insisted.

He took a deep breath and clasped his hands in front of him. "You want to talk? Okay…I'm hot, you're hot. Let's finish what we started last week. You know you want to." He rushed over to her, pinning her arms down at her sides as he kissed her mouth again.

Stephanie wriggled, trying to get him off of her but he was overpowering her. The next thing she knew, the back of her knees hit the bed. Ritchie broke the unreciprocated kiss long enough to throw her down and climb on top of her.

As soon as she opened her mouth to scream, he covered her mouth with his hand.

With his other hand, he pinned her arms above her head.

Utter fear and panic setting in, Stephanie froze completely. She knew what was going on. She knew what was about to happen to her, but she couldn't stop it. It was like she had disconnected from her own body.

Suddenly, she saw herself…but she was younger. Much younger. She watched with a detached fascination as she screamed and stared at the blood on her hands.

Stephanie snapped back to reality, realizing that this jerk's hand had reached under her hoodie and ripped her bra, groping at the tender flesh the cotton had covered. Noticing that she was preparing to yell, he fused his mouth with her unwilling one again.

She thrashed around on the bed, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. The fine, silvery tip of a ballpoint pen glinted beneath the lamp on the nightstand. Underneath Ritchie, she slowly inched towards the nightstand. He actually wasn't putting up too much of a fight with her movement. Probably thought she had finally come around and was simply moving into a more comfortable position for them to get down to it.

Now within arm's reach of the pen, she tried to strategize through all the mess going on in her mind. She thought of Hunter, of Selene. Thought of how she was an idiot for getting herself into this mess. Thought of what she'd do when she was finally free of it. She thought of the traumatized little girl that had flashed before her.

For a moment, she returned Ritchie's kiss. He stopped pressing his body so tightly into hers just enough for her to knee him in the balls.

He grunted and released the hold on her arms.

Stephanie sat up, reached out and grabbed the pen, immediately stabbing him in the shoulder with it.

Ritchie moaned out in pain and surprise. Stephanie pushed past him, ignoring him as he sagged to the floor with the pen still sticking out from his shoulder.

The image of the little girl she had been flashed in her line of vision, but she shook her head to make it go away. She ran over to the hotel door and threw it open, breaking out into a full sprint down the hallway.

While she ran, she considered. Ritchie wouldn't tell anyone about this. He'd tried to rape her and she'd stopped him. He wouldn't contact her, Hunter or the police. If he knew what was good for him, he'd either quit or make it so that she'd never run into him ever again. She didn't care which one it was.

She couldn't tell Hunter about this. That would require explaining what had gone on with Ritchie one week ago. Other than a kiss, she had no idea. And she wasn't too keen on dredging that up after they had made up. And what a passionate and beautiful make up it had been. Furthermore, he would think she was a total idiot for having gone there to confront the bartender alone. And that was if he even believed her side of the story at all. Selene's scheming would definitely cast some doubt on that and Hunter would probably think she went down to his room to be completely unfaithful to him. She'd decided to handle all of this alone so she'd just have to suck it up and comfort herself.

Finally, she made it to her and Hunter's suite. She opened the door quietly and walked in, locking and latching it behind her. She swallowed hard and headed over to the master bedroom door. She opened it a sliver and breathed a sigh of relief that Hunter hadn't so much as budged while she was gone.

Stephanie went into her bedroom and shed her jeans and hoodie. Truthfully, she almost wanted to burn them. But that would definitely draw her husband's suspicion. Instead, she neatly placed them on hangers and put them back where they'd been.

Exiting the closet, she came face to face with the vanity mirror across from her. She eyed the torn bra before taking it off fully. She grabbed the robe she'd discarded earlier and pulled it on, belting it tightly.

Unable to help herself, she pulled the material back from her chest. Her blue eyes stared at the red welts Ritchie's fingers had left, critically.

"So fucking stupid," she said lowly to herself, shaking her head. In the back of her mind, she was wondering why Selene wasn't trying to take over. Stephanie was certainly not in the mental state to fight her off. At this point she mostly didn't care if she went away. Let Selene deal with the pain instead of her since she was the catalyst that set this all in motion. As the weight of her entire life came crumbling down on top of her, she dropped to the floor and sobbed into her knees quietly.


	21. Letting Go

I decided to work on this today, since you all were so kind enough to review so quickly. I'm glad you guys are enjoying this fic's progress and have stuck by it even when it moved painfully slow in the beginning chapters. I granted a couple of wishes and brought Selene back. And in this chapter we set the tone for the next few chapters: marital drama, Steph in shambles and Selene and Dr. Morgan having a breakthrough. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

P.S. Nicole I used your "Stephanie/Undertaker nightmares" idea here. Thanks! As for the dancer idea, that one I got from an article on Stephanie, LOL.

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><p>Hunter let out a content moan, rolling over with the intention of pulling Stephanie closer to him. They'd had an amazing night together and it all began with the conversation they'd had after dinner. They'd come to an understanding and he was able to see that she really was going to try to address her behavior and change. Over the last week he'd purposely held back from her physically. He had been close to being sexually frustrated, but didn't want Stephanie to think that if they did get physical it meant he wasn't still angry with her. So he'd kept his distance, knowing that if he let her be too close, he wouldn't be able to help himself around her.<p>

After they'd reconnected the first couple of times, Stephanie mentioned that she did have a few things they could turn into dessert. A sexy dessert. She'd left the room briefly and come back with a bowl of strawberries, a can of whipped cream and a bottle of chocolate syrup. They'd eaten dessert all right – mostly off of each other. But it was just as fun and entertaining as it was hot. And then they'd gotten to help each other wash off the stickiness in the shower.

She'd fallen asleep in his arms and he soon followed suit.

So he was confused when his fingers connected with sheets that were ice cold. His brown eyes fluttered open and he sat up, running a hand through his hair.

_Again with the disappearing act, _he thought bitterly. He had hoped that after last night she would stop sneaking off to do God knows what while he was sleeping. But that seemed to have turned out to be a longshot. Nothing had changed between them. Last night meant nothing to her.

Though he could walk fine without the crutches, he didn't want to do it too often. Not until his doctor had officially cleared it. But instead of using both of them, he simply used a crutch on his injured side, walking into the kitchen to grab himself some breakfast.

In unconsciousness, Stephanie relived her horrifying night. On the floor, she thrashed while she watched herself struggle underneath Ritchie. Her arms were pinned above her head and his hand was covering her mouth and half of her face. Her own frightened blue eyes stared up at something that only she could see while she shook her head back and forth on the bed.

Ritchie moved his hand, exposing the face of the teenager she'd once been. A rip was heard – the tearing of her bra. She opened her mouth to yell and Ritchie took advantage by trying to fuse hers with his.

Teenage Stephanie's eyes fluttered open when a woman yelled, "Get off!" The woman looked how Stephanie did now, but different. Her hair and her clothes were more Selene's style. She jumped onto Ritchie's back, clawing as she continued screaming for him to leave the teenager alone. Her fighting didn't faze Ritchie at all so she stood up, frantically looking around for a weapon of some kind. She saw the fine-tipped pen and walked over to the dresser.

Selene held the pen up long enough for the teenage Stephanie to see it.

Ritchie stopped what he was doing, time appearing to have become frozen in that instant.

The scene changed, with Selene suddenly underneath Ritchie and the teenager nowhere to be found.

Selene wriggled towards the direction of the nightstand; towards the pen she had held. She reciprocated the kiss until Ritchie stopped working so hard to pin her down. He loosened up and she immediately kneed him in the crotch. She sat up quickly, grabbing the pen from the nightstand.

Screwing a look of malice on her face, she stabbed it deeply into the flesh of Ritchie's shoulder. She eyed the pen strangely then looked up. Teenage Stephanie's hand was also wrapped around the pen sticking out from the man's shoulder. But Selene's hands were clean; the teenager's were bloody.

Both Selene and teenage Stephanie disappeared from the scene, to be replaced by the actual Stephanie, clad in her jeans and hoodie. She pushed Ritchie over and made a beeline for the hotel room door.

A hand reached out and grabbed her arm, trying to bring her back into the room. "No!" She shouted. "Let me go!"

"Stephanie, stop!" Hunter said, diverting her flailing hands away from his face.

"No!" She yelled again, kicking her feet frantically.

"Steph! Wake up, Stephanie, you're dreaming!"

Hunter didn't want to do this, but he held her body captive beneath his, pinning her arms in front of her with one hand. He used his free hand to touch her face. "Come back to me, Stephanie. Wake up!" He shouted.

In Stephanie's mind she was once again trapped under Ritchie and about to be assaulted. Her eyes were screwed shut tightly while she tried to get free, but she opened them as she screamed again.

And saw Hunter's face above her instead. She blinked a couple of times, making sure he was real and not another dream. Her chest heaved with her labored breathing and she could feel the tears sloping down her cheeks.

Hunter's forehead tensed with concern. "Are you okay?"

Stephanie slowly shook her head and looked down at the floor instead of at him. "Get off me," she whispered.

Hunter did as he was told, using the edge of the bed as leverage to stand again.

To say he was worried would be an understatement. He'd been in the kitchen getting a bowl of cereal when he heard movement from her bedroom. His irritation with her had disappeared, realizing that she was just in the other room getting some clothes rather than elsewhere. He walked in to tell her good morning and was shocked by what he found: Stephanie had been lying on the floor, thrashing around like a fish out of water or something. He realized that she was having a bad dream, but wondered why she'd been sleeping in this room in a robe of all things. He'd knelt beside her and tried to wake her up.

And then she'd started screaming and crying as if he was hurting her. She still looked petrified, but at least she was awake.

He chewed his bottom lip as he watched her hug her knees to her chest. "Steph?" He asked, reaching down to touch her shoulder.

Stephanie flinched as if he'd just slapped her or something. She quickly scooted away from him and his bewildered gaze. "Just leave me alone, Hunter," she muttered out angrily. "I need some space."

Hunter wasn't entirely sure what he should do or say. It was obvious that her dream had freaked her the hell out. He knew that for a period of time after the Ministry of Darkness plot, she'd suffered from nightmares. Maybe with all the drama that was going on, they were resurfacing. "All right," he agreed, grabbing his lone crutch and heading for the kitchen. He closed the door behind himself.

Stephanie didn't see blackness creeping in and she didn't feel any migraines coming on. All she felt was broken. There was no room for anything else. "Take over," she mumbled softly. "Please." Her eyes welled up with tears and she sniffled. "I-I can't take this. I can't do it. Please take over."

And just like that, she was gone. In her place, Selene continued to sit on the floor for a moment. She wiped at her eyes but couldn't quite keep the tears from falling, either. Her long arm reached up to the bed, dragging down Stephanie's phone.

Mentally willing her fingers to stop shaking so badly, she scrolled through the contacts until she found Dr. Morgan's name. Of course since Stephanie was concerned with Hunter finding out, she'd codenamed the good doctor as simply, "Morgs." As if it was some old female college buddy. The office was closed on Saturday's, so she bypassed that number and selected his mobile number. She pressed the phone to her ear while she waited.

"Stephanie?" He asked quizzically. "Is everything okay?"

Selene shook her head no. "It's not; on both accounts."

"Selene?"

She took a deep breath. "Yes. Yes it's me. I need to see you. I-I need someone…to talk to."

"Well, the practice is closed today," he informed her.

"I know that," she said quickly. "But that's why we have this number. For emergencies. Please?" She asked again.

Thirty minutes later, Selene emerged from the bedroom showered and fully dressed. At Hunter's questioning glance she simply stated, "I need some air."

Hunter puffed his cheeks out, but nodded. He was going to ask her who she'd been talking to earlier, but refrained. Maybe she'd been talking to herself as a coping mechanism. "Okay," he agreed without saying any more.

Selene wasn't going far. Just to a little café a few blocks down from the hotel. She walked there; she really did need some fresh air to clear her head.

When she arrived, she wasn't surprised to find the ever-punctual Dr. Morgan already seated and waiting on her.

He stood up to greet her, but she waved him off by plopping down across from him.

Before he could begin, she decided to lay some ground rules. "If I'm going to start doing this, it has to be done my way. I will tell you things when I feel like it, using whatever colorful language I'd like. We'll meet where I want when I want. But I will allow you to take notes and shit like that. Agreed?"

Dr. Morgan wanted to decline. That wasn't the way therapy generally worked. But since it was a milestone that she'd even come to him, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Stephanie…well the bartender guy I sucked face with and gave her number to…he tried to blackmail her. He _did _blackmail her, really. Threatened to come up and tell Hunter what all I've been up to. Knew all about the crutches and said he wasn't scared of him."

The doctor arched an intrigued eyebrow. "What did she do about that?"

Selene let out a disgusted breath. "She agreed to his demands. Agreed to meet up with him in his room…to talk. He – well he didn't waste much time. He was all over her and she made it clear she didn't want him. So he tried to take her."

"Take her where?"

"No not kidnap-take. He tried," she stopped short and closed her eyes, balling her hands into fists. She slammed them on the table. "He tried to fucking rape her! And I did nothing! I couldn't do anything and for a minute there, she couldn't either. I was just…frozen. I couldn't believe what was happening. Couldn't believe I was letting it happen or that I brought this on her."

"My God! Have one of you called the police?"

She shook her head and had calmed down considerably now that that was off her chest. "Of course not. Too much red tape for both of us. She was able to fight him off somehow. I don't know where she found the strength to do that, when I couldn't."

"She's stronger than you think, Selene."

Selene shook her head to the contrary. "She broke down right after. Cried herself to sleep on the floor in a robe. Went to pieces this morning. Begged me to take over for her. Never thought I'd hear her say that."

"What happened to her is traumatizing."

"Yeah, I know. And it's my fault, really. But what the hell was she thinking going down there to meet with him? What the hell guy invites a woman over to talk at eleven at night? She should have known better!"

"Maybe she did. Maybe she just didn't care if it could've saved her marriage."

"Maybe," she agreed. "I didn't protect her, Doc. That's what I was made for. That's my only purpose. To deal with what she can't. To take over before people try to break her. I failed and she's broken…so what am I here for?"

"We all make mistakes and fall short from time to time. You're here for her now, that's what matters. And if you let me help you, I can help her."

Selene nodded and leaned back in her chair, running a hand over her damp hair. "I said I would. But I don't want to talk about that today. I'm going to tell our story my way." She pushed back the chair and stood up. She gestured to the beautiful scenery all around them, finally finding it in her to smile a little.

She turned and began to walk away, not wanting to give the doctor a chance to protest. "It's a beautiful day, Doc," she called over her shoulder, pointing upwards to the brightly shining sun. "Go enjoy it. Steph and I will catch you later."


	22. Suddenly It's Clear

Hey all! I wrote this up today...this story is leading me, rather than the other way around. Because I definitely hadn't intended to have these events happen for another couple of chapters. But what can I say - it seems to fit perfectly now!

Nicole, I don't remember but I know she's mentioned it a few times. That if she wasn't working with the WWE she'd have been a dancer but had a problem with her knees, had arthroscopic surgery on one and refused to have another. I haven't seen it brought up again in at least a couple of years, though, but I always remembered that tidbit.

This will be the last chapter I can put out until I get my toasted-laptop files back. Ch. 23 is completely written out already, it just needs to be retrieved. So I hope you all enjoy this because it might be a while before the next installment! Let me know what you think of it all the same, though. And happy holidays!

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><p>Hunter sat the barbell back on the rack before sitting up. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, knowing he would feel the burn for this in a few hours. For the last week, he had been coming down to the hotel's gym at the crack of dawn to work out everything he possibly could. He wasn't able to run, bike or do the elliptical or treadmill, but he did everything else.<p>

He would have to bring his ankle and his cardio back up to speed during physical therapy. But that wasn't an excuse to let the rest of him get out of shape.

Admittedly, he'd overdone it today. He was no stranger to expressing his anger and frustration through work outs. But today he'd truly gone overboard. He was pleased that he could – technically and secretly – walk again. But his interactions with Stephanie were seriously stressing him out.

After her drunken fiasco he'd definitely expressed his irritation. But the rollercoaster of having things be back to normal for one night and then inexplicably go to hell again was even more stressful than just being outright pissed with her. Anger was clear cut; confusion was not.

And that's exactly what Stephanie had done; confused the hell out of him. It had been two days since she had the dream she refused to explain to him. She'd come back from her walk in a less depressed mood, but had kept her distance from him. She spent most of the day by herself in the secondary bedroom.

Figuring that she was still processing or dealing with her freaky dream, he'd given her the space. Even though every part of him had ached to comfort her, he refrained. She'd emerged to ask him what he wanted for dinner from room service. She'd made herself stay in the living room long enough for the food to arrive and to enjoy her meal and then retreated yet again.

It really did hurt. It hurt that she wouldn't talk to him about what had been bothering her all day. It hurt that she pretty much had to force herself to come and spend an hour sitting in the same room as him. She'd parked herself on the chaise lounge, rather than next to him on the couch.

Deciding to take the high road, he'd knocked on her door around ten p.m. and asked if she would be sleeping in the other room tonight. Her reply of "yes" hadn't surprised him. But it still hurt. Even though her dream had affected her badly, it sucked that she was taking it out on him in every way possible.

The next day, she'd engaged him a little bit more, but not by much. She'd been more polite, but still very distant.

And now he was here: sweating bullets and lifting weights until his muscles protested viciously.

After showering off, he headed back upstairs and crept inside the hotel room as quietly as he could. He went into the master bedroom and plopped down on the bed, clearing his mind so that he could fall back asleep.

A few hours later and Selene was sitting on the patio of a Starbucks a couple of miles from the hotel. Call her crazy, but something about the office tended to make her feel itchy. It was tastefully decorated and all, but she preferred being out in the open. Maybe that wasn't surprising considering the fact that she lived most of her life inside the shell of someone else.

She'd left Hunter in his room, napping peacefully from the pain meds. She was rather impressed with herself that she was able to charm him into that. She'd been worried that he wasn't going to buy it. But apparently she played the role of "sympathetic, concerned spouse" well enough.

Selene knew that the therapist wanted the answer to the million dollar question, but she wasn't quite ready to go there yet. So far she'd just been telling him the happenings of the last couple of days.

When Stephanie came to, Selene didn't want her to be worse off than she had been when she left. Though she'd been in sole control for a full two days, she hadn't done anything that would reflect badly on Stephanie. She hadn't gone out and messed around with other guys. She hadn't started any fights with Hunter. She'd mostly been staying away and staying quiet, knowing that she would probably do or say something to give herself away and make Hunter suspicious.

As she relayed this to the doctor, she was somewhat tickled to see his eyebrows rise so highly that they nearly connected with his widow's peak hairline. "Wow," he responded simply.

"Yeah I know, right."

"I'm impressed…and very proud of you. It's good that you're putting Stephanie's well-being first."

Selene bit back the defensive, attitude-filled reply that wanted to come out. She took a deep breath. "That's all I've ever tried to do. But this crap with the bartender? It showed me that the way I've gone about things isn't…good. My actions put her in danger. I've been trying so hard to get her away from Hunter because I thought he would hurt her and…" she trailed off and ran a hand through her hair.

"Go on," Dr. Morgan encouraged, his dark brown eyes sympathetic.

"I think I've done more harm than good. I mean, he's stuck by her and forgiven her and he's still trying to make it work even after all the crap I've pulled."

"What does that tell you about him?"

Selene huffed out a breath. She'd spent the better part of a decade shooing people away from Stephanie, terrified that they'd misuse and mistreat her. Mostly she'd been right and she didn't regret what she'd done. But it seemed that maybe she'd pegged Hunter incorrectly. It wasn't easy to admit that she'd made a few mistakes where he was concerned. Mistakes that spanned the course of the last few months.

"Maybe he's just very determined to inherit the WWF?" She tried, half as a joke. At Dr. Morgan's unamused stare she held up her hands in defeat. "Or maybe," she struggled and dragged the words out. "Just maybe he's not the selfish jerk I thought he was. That I thought all men and most people were."

Dr. Morgan nodded, scribbling all of this into his notes. While this was good progress, he couldn't get to the root of Selene's existence unless she opened up about their past. He knew what she was doing, though. She was going backwards: beginning with the present and walking him through the events of their lives.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I'm sure you've had good reason to have drawn those conclusions."

Selene nodded quickly, feeling the bitterness of Stephanie's time with Andrew. "Definitely. Her ex-fiance had seemed potentially decent. He made a big show of fighting with Stephanie's family for her. But it was so…over the top. The kind of thing you see in movies and read about in fairy tales."

Dr. Morgan cracked a smile, "The knight in shining armor?" He offered

Selene pointed. "Exactly! So I started spying on him. He'd leave to do an errand or something and I'd take over and follow him. One day I find the guy hiding out in a janitorial closet at an arena bragging about how Stephanie had fallen for him quicker than he expected. How he had gained her trust so effectively by facing Shane in a match and that soon he'd be able to ask for company favors. I remember his final comment before he hung up with whomever he'd been talking to. He said, "I'm going to rule this company, with her by my side. Just watch." And then he laughed like a fucking hyena."

"How did that make you feel?"

"Pissed," she laughed heartily. "Extremely pissed. I mean this guy was _so _smug that he was hiding in a janitor's closet. A janitor's closet! He was making a fool of Stephanie. And I knew that Stephanie had dated the guy primarily to stick it to her family for that embarrassing spectacle with the Undertaker. Well, her plan didn't work because she was being embarrassed yet again and her family had finally approved of him. Plus I knew she had taken a liking to Andrew for his so-called bravery. So I started plotting revenge while I walked away. Everyone needed to pay for this. Stephanie didn't successfully get revenge and I was going to do it for her. One plan that would get everyone. I had a basic outline for what I wanted to do, but I wasn't sure who I should choose. Test was so irrelevant that he had no real enemies. And Vince was so ridiculous that he had too many."

"How did you come to choose Hunter?"

"I had to think of who was the most vicious. Who was the most diabolical and crafty? He was the clear choice."

"Were you attracted to him?"

Selene laughed. "Who wouldn't be? But that's not why I picked him. I had no intention of keeping him around long-term and no intentions of going after him in that way."

"But eventually you did," Dr. Morgan pointed out.

"True," she nodded. "But because I was getting frustrated sexually and he blocked my attempts at going out to relieve that. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing."

Dr. Morgan nodded and jotted down more notes. Whatever he missed, he could fill in by playing the tape back later. This approach was working wonderfully and he felt that he had a more solid understanding of Selene. And now that they'd come to how she interacts with men sexually, he could start digging deeper. "Do you enjoy sex? Stephanie told me that during college, you often slept with other men, to drive her boyfriends away."

"You could say that I do. I enjoy being in control. Making guys squirm, beg for release and all of that. I like that I can control whether and when that happens. It's pleasing physically, because I make sure whatever is going on feels good to me, first and foremost."

"It's interesting that you mention control. Can you tell me more about why that's so important?"

Selene shrugged. "It's all about control: who has it and who doesn't. People were always trying to manipulative Stephanie – take away her control…so I enjoy taking it from others. She had always tried her best to please others before herself. I had to sit there and watch her do it…so you can say that when I took over I was making up for lost time, also…making sure that _we _came first." She smirked, "Literally and figuratively speaking."

"And Stephanie was never able to take over while you were engaged in these situations?"

"Nope," she shook her head. "Only with Triple H."

"Why do you think that is?"

"Like I said, it's all about control. With him, I lost control. I was letting him dictate the pace – something that I'd never done. And instead of constantly thinking about how good the power felt and how I was exerting it…I just enjoyed the sensations. I lost my focus and just like that," she snapped her fingers. "Stephanie was back."

"Did that make you angry?" He probed.

Selene arched an eyebrow. "That Stephanie came back and got pleasure? Not so much. What she experiences physically, so do I. Remember?"

"No, no,"Dr. Morgan corrected. "That he had been the first person to make you lose control and focus."

Selene drew her eyebrows together while she considered the idea. She'd never looked at it that way. But it did make some sense. Maybe on a subconscious level she'd been angry and felt like she'd been rendered powerless. And just maybe it skewed her perception of Hunter and Stephanie's relationship; making her feel like he was out to take away what little power Stephanie had left. Instead of answering, she simply shrugged. She didn't know the answer to that yet. It hadn't been a conscious reason for what she had been doing.

Dr. Morgan glanced at his watch, noting that there were ten minutes left in the session. "Here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to counsel both you and Stephanie. You two are connected, but I can't counsel you at the exact same time for obvious reasons. So I want the sessions to be split between the two of you."

Selene nodded. "That sounds fair. I suppose you want me to let her take over so that you can tell her that."

"Would be nice," he quipped with a smile.

"I want to. I mean, I didn't want to take over. Not this time. She let me. She pleaded with me."

Ryan reached across the table, grabbed her hand and squeezed briefly before releasing it. "I know she did. But this is _her _life. She has to live with it. She has to begin the healing process. She can't do that if she's locked away in some self-induced mental nothingness."

Selene drew her bottom lip in and bit down for a second. "I know. I'm just-"

"Worried?" he offered. "It's hard to let her come back, when you can feel and see her pain."

"Yes. But it has to be done, doesn't it?" She asked rhetorically.

Dr. Morgan nodded and leaned back in his chair. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the two of them switch back and forth. Though she was opening up and breaking down the walls she'd shielded herself behind, Selene was still Selene. She was a conceited and narcissistic diva. She exuded confidence from her every pore and even her walk conveyed that she thought she owned the world. And even though he knew her better now, even though she'd proven to be loyal, empathetic and caring, that edge was still there.

Stephanie, while confident in her looks, was a sweetheart. It was just written into her demeanor and was spoken in the way her eyes would light up in childlike wonderment of the world around her.

He watched on curiously while Selene held her eyes closed and exhaled, deep in concentration.

Blue eyes opened and blinked rapidly. "Dr. Morgan?" Stephanie asked in astonishment. She looked all around her, taking in the surroundings: the café, the busy street, and the people wandering about on their lunch breaks. "Why are you here? Where am I?"

Dr. Morgan placed a hand on Stephanie's shoulder. "Calm down. I was just in a session with Selene."

"Selene?" She squeaked out. "Oh, God. What has she done now?" She asked exasperatedly, panicking before she thought about what he said. "Wait. You said you were in a session with her? Like counseling?"

"Yes, a counseling session. She was concerned for your mental and emotional well-being," he said cautiously. He wondered if Stephanie had blacked the out the event of the attempted rape somehow. Or simply forgotten it during the exile.

Stephanie's nose scrunched up in accordance with her attitude. "Since when does she care about my…" she trailed off, the memories flooding her brain all at once. The endless tears, the sorrow. The fear, the pain. The useless struggling. The pen, the blood. The threats and harassment. The eyes of the teenager that she had been, haunting her. "Oh," she whispered. Stephanie lowered her head and stared anywhere but at him. "She told you about that?"

"She did. For the last two days, she's been the dominant personality. She sought me out shortly after you let her take over and we're near the hotel. Stephanie, she's willing to work with us here. She wants you to resolve all of this and start healing."

All Stephanie focused on was the timeline and her head snapped up. "Two days?" She asked in disbelief. "She's been living in the hotel with Hunter for two days? Jesus, do I even still have a marriage?"

Dr. Morgan nodded. "You absolutely do. She hasn't done anything bad; she's kept her distance from him."

Stephanie placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. She thought of their their reconciliation and how well they'd connected. Then she thought of the fact that he'd found her the next morning as a disheveled mess sleeping on the floor in a robe. "He must be so confused and fed up with me."

"Tell him what's going on, Stephanie." Dr. Morgan reached into his briefcase and pulled out a manila folder and slid it across the table until it entered Stephanie's line of vision.

She fingered the outside of the folder before looking up at him. "What's this?"

"A copy of the notes I've taken thus far. They're in dated order, with the most recent being on top. Inside the cover you'll also find a CD-ROM affixed. They're recordings of our sessions that I've uploaded from my recorder. They're labeled by date. I'm giving you this, so that when you tell your husband, you'll have some proof."

Stephanie nodded, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. "What about today's session"

"I brought along an additional recorder. I don't have a copy of the notes yet, obviously. But you can borrow the recorder until our next session."

"Next session?" Stephanie laughed, rubbing the lone tear from her cheek. "Boy, you're not allowing me much room to procrastinate."

Dr. Morgan laughed and stood up from the table, placing the spare recorder on the table. "I honestly believe you've kept him in the dark for too long. It's time to shed some light on the marital issues that have been going on."

"Thank you so much for everything you've done." Overcome with her joy that she was finally about to have her life back on track, she reached out and grabbed Ryan, pulling him into a hug.

Not knowing what else to do, he hugged her back and laughed at her enthusiasm. But he understood perfectly and replied with, "You're welcome."

Across the street, in a yellow cab, the meter changed to sixty dollars. That's how long Hunter had been sitting in the backseat, trying to see what Stephanie was up to. He hadn't waited long after she left to get up and leave. While she had been in the shower, he had called downstairs and given them a time that he needed a taxi service to be downstairs waiting on him. All he had to do was rush to get downstairs.

Stephanie had left slightly later than usual, but it had still worked out. He'd made it outside just in time to see her pulling away from the valet curb and make a right onto the streets. He'd instructed the driver to follow the car, but they'd gotten caught in a bit of traffic. He'd spotted the car parked on a busy street filled with restaurants and shops and had told the driver to slow down, knowing that she was nearby. It had taken him well over half an hour of searching, but he'd finally spotted her on the patio of the coffee shop with a male companion. He'd watched the interaction carefully, desperately not wanting to jump to conclusions.

But he couldn't deny the truth after what he'd seen. He'd seen the tension in Stephanie's posture. She looked stressed and jumpy. He saw the guy hold her hand - even though it was brief. Saw him touch her shoulder reassuringly. He saw the affectionate hug Stephanie had given the other man. Saw the way the guy had hugged her back. He'd turned away in disgust after that, wondering how he didn't see this coming.

And suddenly Stephanie doping him up – or trying to – every other day made sense. Suddenly he realized that she hadn't been talking to herself after her dream. She'd called _him_. That's where she'd gone on her walk.

Suddenly he understood everything – her mood swings, her acting out, her refusal to be anywhere near him for the past two days.

Stephanie was cheating on him. By the way the interaction looked and Stephanie had been behaving, perhaps she was saying goodbye to her secret lover. The two of them didn't necessarily look like they were showering each other with love. Maybe that was because Stephanie had realized that she already had love. Love that she needed to work on. And maybe her guilt had gotten the best of her and she'd wanted to keep her distance until she could break it off with the other man.

_But screw her, _Hunter decided. Love could kiss his ass and so could she. He suspected she'd run by a grocery store and pretend that that's where she'd been. Either way, he didn't intend to still be in their suite when she returned and tried to play innocent.


	23. I Hate This Part

Hey all! Well I did find this unfinished chapter sitting around on a flash drive, so I decided to post it after adding a few things to it. As for my laptop; the hard drive was also damaged, so those files and future chapters are toast. I'll have to re-do the endings to all the current fics and then fill in the blanks from there. Hopefully it goes smoothly since I remember the general way they were all to end. But it'll take time to refine those ideas again.

Thank you all for the lovely reviews. Though this chapter is sad, it does keep up a small amount of its usual humorous moments/comments. So I hope you all enjoy it - let me know! Merrrrrry Christmas!

The song is "I Hate This Part" by the Pussycat Dolls. It was requested by AttitudeEraChick!

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><p>We're driving slow through the snow on 5th Avenue<br>And right now radio's all that we can hear  
>Now we ain't talked since we left, it's so overdue<br>It's cold outside but between us it's worse in here

The world slows down  
>But my heart beats fast right now<br>I know this is the part  
>Where the end starts<p>

Admittedly, Hunter was packing his things away haphazardly. If something wasn't already folded, he simply stuffed it into the suitcase. Wrinkles were far from his list of concerns right now. The only thing that mattered to him was getting the hell out of here. Getting away from Stephanie. It seemed like every time he thought they were getting back on track, she violently ripped the rug out from under him.

It was going to stop. Because he wasn't going to stick around.

I can't take it any longer  
>Thought that we were stronger<br>All we do is linger  
>Slipping through my fingers<p>

I don't wanna try now  
>All that's left's goodbye to<br>Find a way that I can tell you

Hunter stuffed the last item into the suitcase and zipped it up. He extended the handle so that he could roll it, and slung the huge duffel bag over his shoulder. It was very convenient that he was able to walk without assistance now. The faster he could escape this horrible place – the place where his marriage totally fell apart – the better.

He made his way to the front door.

I hate this part right here  
>I hate this part right here<br>I just can't take your tears  
>I hate this part right here<p>

Everyday, seven takes of the same old scene  
>Seems we're bound by the laws of the same routine<br>Gotta talk to you now 'fore we go to sleep  
>But will we sleep once I tell you what's hurting me?<p>

Stephanie headed down the hallway feeling overly anxious. But she didn't feel Selene trying to force her way in, which comforted her and let her know that she really was being cooperative. That she really did care. She reached into her purse, fingering the manila folder for reassurance.

She had proof. Indisputable proof. Hunter would know that she hadn't been the one screwing things up. All she'd tried to do was love him and be there for him. She'd tell him about Ritchie. There was no danger there. She'd gone upstairs to the bar and asked around for him. To her relief, he had simply up and quit, without giving anyone an explanation.

So she didn't have to worry about Hunter hurting himself in a fight against him.

All of this had to stop, though. She wouldn't dope him up so that she could sneak out anymore. She was tired of living the lie – the lie that she was completely mentally stable. It was time her husband knew the truth about their life together. And the truth was that sometimes the two of them…weren't together.

Moving her fingers elsewhere in the purse, her grip closed around the hotel room key. She took a deep breath for confidence and stuck it in the slot, watching as it blinked green.

But before she could open the door, the handle flew out of her grasp.

And Hunter stood before her, with his roller suitcase and duffel bag. He was sans crutches, she noted. He could walk again.

Stephanie's jaw dropped while she processed the details of the scene. "Wh-what are you doing?" She asked lightly, hoping they were just switching hotels.

"I'm getting the hell out of here. I want a divorce, Stephanie!" He yelled at her.

The world slows down  
>But my heart beats fast right now<br>I know this is the part  
>Where the end starts<p>

Tears came to her eyes instantly and her heart was hammering away in her chest. He couldn't leave her; not after all they had already been through. Not at the time that she needed him the most. Not ever, if she could help it. Things were bad, but she didn't understand why he was suddenly so livid with her. Her anxiety was reaching its peak, but there was still no blurred vision or darkness creeping in. "What? Why?"

Hunter laughed spitefully. He was doing his best to just stay angry. To mask the hurt. She didn't deserve to know that she wielded that kind of power; not anymore. With all of her talk about how she didn't mean to hurt him a week ago and now he finds out that she's done so much worse. "Do you really have to ask? I've been able to walk for days now. Clearly I'm not doped up. Think, Stephanie. Think really hard."

Stephanie threw her arms in the air frantically, coming up with nothing. "I don't know! I don't know why you would leave me when we're supposed to be working things out."

"And you think that fucking around on me is the way to do that?"

At first, the only reply she could summon was a blink. How the hell did he come to such an absurd conclusion? Okay, yes her behavior had been questionable. But for him to automatically decide that she was sleeping with some other guy was preposterous.

She took a deep breath, realizing she had to calm herself down. What Hunter was accusing her of wasn't true. She'd damn well make him see that. "No," she said simply. "I haven't done that."

He lifted a hand and pointed a finger at her; his eyes were sparkling with fury. "Don't you dare sit there and lie to my face, Stephanie. I saw you! I followed you today and I saw you with the guy. Your "it wasn't me" and "I don't remember" bullshit isn't going to work. I was a fool to have ever let those excuses slide," he added stubbornly.

"But, it was true!" She said, dragging a hand through her hair before waving both arms wildly in frustration.

He shook his head. "Not buying it. For weeks you've been running off to do mysterious errands after practically shoving pills down my throat. I finally realized your pattern and today I finally followed you. And what do I see?" He asked rhetorically. "I see you at Starbucks hugging some asshole."

"For God's sake, Hunter! You're telling me you want to divorce me because you think I'm cheating...based on a _hug_?"

Hunter glared at her. "Don't patronize or try to distract me, Stephanie. The lying, the secrecy, the games. Your obvious relationship with the guy is the icing on the cake. I want out."

When Hunter tried to push past her, she wouldn't let him. He was at a disadvantage with all the crap he was carrying. Plus, she knew that no matter how angry he was, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her physically.

"Let me out," he demanded through clenched teeth.

Stephanie held up both of her hands to plead with him. "Wait," she requested. "Just wait one minute. Please."

"I don't want to wait! I want to get away from you!"

"Here," she said hurriedly, reaching down into her bag. She shoved the manila folder into his chest, pushing until he was far enough away from the door that she could close it. The folder fell to the floor since she had released it and Hunter had no hands to grab it with. She crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the door. If he wanted to leave without hearing her story, he'd have to physically move her. Otherwise, she was staying put.

I can't take it any longer  
>Thought that we were stronger<br>All we do is linger  
>Slipping through our fingers<p>

I don't wanna try now  
>All that's left's goodbye to<br>Find a way that I can tell you

Hunter dropped his bags and placed a hand over his forehead and rubbed gingerly. He was getting a migraine. Stephanie was the most aggravating woman he had ever encountered in his life. "What's this?" He questioned, pointing to the portfolio still occupying the floor.

"Some answers."

"It's not an oracle, Stephanie. You can't expect me to believe the folder knows why you've been wrecking this marriage."

I hate this part right here  
>I hate this part right here<br>I just can't take your tears  
>I hate this part right here<p>

I know you'll ask me to hold on  
>And carry on like nothing's wrong<br>But there is no more time for lies  
>'Cause I see sunset in your eyes<p>

Stephanie narrowed her eyes at him but remained silent as she contemplated her response. Her relationship was already on shaky grounds and getting an attitude wouldn't help anything. Furthermore, what she was about to tell Hunter would sound completely crazy. He would probably think she made this up, too. "Okay I'm just going to tell you…"

"Please do, I haven't got all night."

"Hunter, I'm your wife. I know your habits. Plus you're still recovering from an injury. Yes, you do have all night." She placed her hand up to stop him from making a comeback. "The man you saw today was my therapist. See, I've been seeing a shrink-"

He burst out into laughter. "About time!"

Stephanie chose to ignore the implications of his comment. "Let me finish, then you can crack as many jokes as you want." When Hunter didn't respond, she continued, "Hunter, strange things have been happening to for years now. I just ignored it, you know? I learned to live life with whatever it was. But, when we started fighting so much, I knew that I couldn't keep going on the way I had been. I needed to do something to change this."

Hunter stared at her with a blank expression. "That's it? I'm no closer to understanding you than I was 5 minutes ago."

"I just-I don't know how to say this. It sounds nuts. Hell, it _is _nuts. I really-I don't even know where to start, Hunter," she stammered and rambled.

"The beginning might be a good place," he told her with a shrug.

"The easiest way to put it is that sometimes I'm just not myself. The things I say and do…that seem so out of my character…really is out of _my_ character. A good deal of the time…I'm just simply…not there." She looked up to see if Hunter was going to interrupt her, but he didn't, so she continued, "Hunter, things that I do, that you're still mad about the next day, while I'm acting like it never happened…well for me it really didn't. Flirting with other guys, whatever happened with that bartender you threatened, most of what went on with Kurt Angle. None of it was me."

"Where exactly are you going with this, Steph? You're still dancing around what it is you really want to say to me," he called her out.

"I'm getting there," she assured him. She expelled a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she ran a shaky hand through her hair in an attempt to calm herself. _I refuse to lose it. Just keep going, he needs to know._But, it was no use and Hunter saw the tears pool in her eyes before she had the chance to blink them back.

I can't take it any longer  
>Thought that we were stronger<br>All we do is linger  
>Slipping through our fingers<p>

Ignoring the fact that he was still rightly pissed at her, Hunter crossed the short distance between them, wrapping an arm around her waist before guiding her over to the couch. Once they'd sat down, he rubbed in small circles on her lower back. That always seemed to calm her down some. And quite honestly he never could stand to see her cry.

"I'm sorry…this is just hard for me. I've never breathed a word of this to anyone. Only my psychiatrist knows. But, this is destroying our marriage so I have to tell you. I've woken up in clothes that I don't remember buying…wearing hairstyles that I don't remember doing. Being told that I've said and done awful things that would normally never even occur to me. That's not even the worst of it. In college I'd wake up with evidence of sex that I didn't have."

He blinked, then slowly shook his head. "I'm confused."

"I have MPD," she revealed quickly.

"What?"

"Multiple Personality Disorder, Hunter. Well actually it's now known as dissociative identity disorder," she rambled quickly. She reeled her emotions back in so that she could explain properly. "There's more than just me, living inside of my body. I know I sound crazy. I think this might actually qualify as crazy," she rambled again. "But, what's in that folder are records of my therapy sessions. Notes that my therapist has taken down. And there's a CD-ROM of the recordings of the sessions. Sometimes it's Selene."

"Who?"

"Selene, she's the other person. She's the one who's been doing these terrible things."

"Uh huh…" He nodded slowly. "Okay, I'm not saying I don't believe you. But, if this is true, how do I know who's been who in this marriage?"

I don't wanna try now  
>All that's left's goodbye to<br>Find a way that I can tell you

That I gotta do it  
>I gotta do it<br>I gotta do it  
>I hate this part<p>

Stephanie bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood. "I can't answer that for you. I mean, you can ask me about specific times. Good or bad. I wouldn't lie – no matter what it was – if it really wasn't me who said or did something."

Hunter remained silent. He let Stephanie go and instead rested his forearms on his elbows and leaned forward. Away from her.

She tried not to frown at the loss of contact. She knew that what she just told him was a lot to take in. But, he would be there for her. He would support her and help her get through this.

_Right? _She questioned herself.

"Hunter?" She asked timidly. God, she had a horrible feeling about this.

Hunter flinched at the sound of her voice. Not because he was scared but because he was clearly hurting her. He shook his head and his eyes stared a hole into the floor. "I need time, Steph. Space," he clarified.

I gotta do it  
>I gotta do it<br>I gotta do it, oh

Stephanie swallowed down the bile that had risen in her throat. Even if she was only doing it to make way for the hot lump that was moving to take its place. Numbly, she watched as Hunter stood up from the couch and walked back to where he'd dropped his bags.

"You're leaving me when I need you the most?" She asked rhetorically. She wasn't sure if she meant to ask him or if she was trying to figure this out for herself. Worse, was that she wasn't sure she even wanted an answer.

"This is – it's too much. I just need alone time to think. Okay?"

Jesus, now he was trying to put a positive spin on it. She dragged a hand over her teary eyes and muttered out a simple, "Okay." What the hell else was she supposed to say? It was obvious it didn't matter what she thought or wanted in this situation.

Stephanie closed her eyes tightly as she listened to the sound of his movements. A part of her hoped that he would change his mind before he left her. But the rational part of her brain knew that he wouldn't. Not this time. Too much had happened and his decision was made.

"Take care of yourself, Steph," he called out to her. It was silent for a moment because he hesitated with his next words. He didn't want to bid her farewell. Not a permanent one. But he honestly had no idea when he'd see or talk to her next. No idea if after making a final decision, he would even want to. But it had to happen sometime; they were still married. "See ya later."

Stephanie didn't reply. Not until she heard the door click shut behind him. "Yeah. Later," she mumbled despondently. She lay down on her side on the couch and let the tears flow slowly and freely. She blanked her mind; she didn't want to think, assume or contemplate. She just felt numb and empty as she stared straight ahead at the wall.

After a few minutes of being totally alone, she realized that he wasn't going to come back. "He's gone," she sobbed out raggedly through her hyperventilating and coughing. "He's really gone."

I hate this part right here  
>I hate this part right here<br>I just can't take these tears  
>I hate this part right here<p> 


	24. Her Eyes

So this desktop doesn't have MS word. I'm having to use WordPad and then go to a site to have it calculate the words. Awfully annoying not to know how much I'm typing beforehand. LOL.

Anywho, I wanted to put something out for this asap. I wrote the final 3 chapters today. Now we just gotta get there :-).

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><p>At the hotel down the street from where he'd left Stephanie, Hunter sat on the couch with his head in his hands.<p>

His mind was just all over the place. He'd felt angry, disgusted and betrayed when he'd been preparing to leave her high and dry the day prior. After she explained what was going on he didn't know what to feel.

First, confusion had set in due to her rambling. Then came more confusion at what she had told him.

There was another person - another woman living inside of her body. Someone who clearly hated him and had been trying to sabotage their marriage for months.

What exactly did she expect him to do with that? This didn't fix anything. In fact, it made things worse. Dealing with one woman who made no sense was enough. Dealing with another...in the same body. It sounded crazy.

It was crazy.

_Is Stephanie crazy? _He wondered, seriously considering his wording. Her condition was nowhere near the sphere of normal. Depression, OCD and anxiety were well known. He understood those. They were almost as common as a cold.

But this? This was the kind of shit that happened in movies. And the plot almost always revolved around the main character murdering people, not realizing they'd done it.

He tilted his head as he allowed his paranoia to lead his thoughts.

Predisposition for mental disorders often had a genetic link.

Hunter had no idea what mental illnesses Vince should be diagnosed with. But he guessed that they were many. He wasn't sure about Linda, she seemed less extreme than Vince, but still off. Anybody who'd stay married to that guy would have to be.

God, what if being raised by these lunatics is what had damaged Stephanie's mind? Childhood trauma usually caused these sorts of things.

Whatever the cause, it wasn't her fault...and he did love her immensely. The actual her, not the one who apparently took over and made a mess.

How would he even tell them apart? How would he know who was who from one moment to the next? He'd been fooled thus far, hadn't he?

He couldn't live like that. He just couldn't.

Never knowing who he was telling his secrets to. Never knowing who was by his side during matches.

Never knowing who he was being intimate with. God, that thought made him sick. It's like he'd cheated on her. Maybe. He honestly didn't know.

What if she got pregnant? Hell, what if she already was and didn't know it yet? Who would the actual mother be? Would the - the other personality try to hurt the baby?

He slapped his hands against the cushions of the couch. He was thinking about this too hard. He was thinking about the future as if he'd already decided he was going back to her.

Hunter just didn't see how that was possible. There were too many complications. He wasn't sure he could deal. Wasn't sure if it was worth it.

The memory of her devastated face flashed in his memory. She hadn't shed a tear over his departure. Not in his presence anyway.

But he knew her eyes well enough to see the pain he was causing her. The hollowness and emptiness. She'd looked utterly lost. Like a little girl who'd been abandoned in a crowded public place or something.

"Her eyes!" Hunter exclaimed as the epiphany hit him.

That day in the cafeteria, he'd seen Stephanie's hair, face and body. He'd been sure of it until Stephanie vehemently denied it all day, looking very hurt that he'd accuse her of sneaking around. He didn't know who it could have been that he'd mistaken as his wife. But now he knew. Now it was clear.

He remembered the coldness he felt radiating from the woman, even as she smiled at him. No matter how upset she was with him, he never felt that from Stephanie. He remembered that the gaze was very familiar, though he couldn't pin it.

Hunter allowed his mind to take him to the true beginning of their relationship. He recalled exactly when he felt his emotional defenses crack with her.

They'd been engaged in heavy foreplay. Stephanie had been the one to initiate the whole thing.

He remembered the look of shock on her face as he'd kissed a trail up her body. But he'd grinned and ignored it mostly.

But he hadn't been able to ignore the look on her face when he was preparing to join his body with hers. She'd looked nervous and confused even though she was full of desire.

The softness of her expression and vulnerability in her eyes had done something major to him.

And he'd soon found himself making love to someone, for the first time in his life. He'd...cuddled...and...spooned her afterwards. He didn't run out the next morning. He'd watched her sleep and then made her breakfast. Then they'd had a conversation about everything that happened and decided to try to make their marriage into a real one.

Thinking about the wonderful times they'd had together wasn't going to help him see clearly. He needed to see the situation rationally.

Like her headaches and blurred vision. She refused to see a doctor about it. Maybe this was why. Maybe she'd had the inkling that she wasn't alone in her body.

"Damn her for not telling me," he muttered bitterly. Even if she hadn't known for sure, she should have at least gone to get checked out when shit started to get weird.

And she'd been in therapy for weeks now, if he was to judge based on when she would dope him up. She'd let a complete stranger in on her problems but felt the need to hide it from him. From her own husband.

That spoke volumes for how much she trusted in him and their relationship. Whatever was left of it, anyway.

A part of him wondered why she would drag an innocent party like him into her personal mess. Stephanie - his actual Stephanie wasn't a very selfish person. Actually, she was rather considerate and giving. She didn't try to hurt people unless they had insulted her, hurt her or pissed her off. Not after they'd got used to their power and settled into their roles.

So why would she get married and directly involve him in her loopy world? Up until he fell in love with her, he was sure he didn't come across as a compassionate kind of guy.

Which led him to wonder whose idea it was to take revenge on her entire family and overthrow the company.

Selene. That's what Stephanie had called this other personality. Was the original plan her idea? Was the marriage her idea?

Was it Stephanie who'd truly been duped in this situation?

As the possibility rang true in his mind, he couldn't ignore how it made his heart ache. He couldn't imagine what it was like to literally just wake up one day and find that your entire life had changed.

If he was right, she'd woken up to find out that her family hated her. And that she was on her honeymoon, just not to the correct blonde.

The thought made bile rise up in his throat. That explained why she'd looked so horrified when he revealed their secret wedding. What if she'd considered him to be some kind of molester or rapist? After all, he had lied on national television and said that they'd consummated the marriage while she was fake-drugged.

Hunter just thought she was a really great actor. But as he closely examined how their relationship came to be, he realized he was possibly, probably wrong.

He closed his eyes tightly to try to force out the stinging sensation he felt. He wasn't going to do this. He wasn't going to cry.

Stephanie had still deliberately kept all of this from him. But as the pieces of the truth began to come together, he was starting to understand why she'd kept it all in.

"Ugh," he complained as he tried to sort through his jumbled feelings. Even when he was mad at her, he loved her. When he was disappointed, he still loved her.

And now that the anger and disappointment was leaving, he was finding it harder to ignore the love factor. Especially after everything she'd been dealing with in her mind combined by the drama of his wrestling career...

Yet through it all she'd stuck by his side.

But he just left her when she needed him more than ever. She'd brought evidence of the illness to the hotel with her yesterday. It looked like she'd already been preparing to bring him in on everything. And he'd shut down on her entirely and left her high and dry with no words of hope for a resolution.

Hunter allowed himself to sink further into the couch. He felt like total shit. "Damn it," he muttered.

* * *

><p>Thanks SOOOO MUCH for the great response on this one, guys. Sometimes in a rush to get to the meat of the story I leave out the smaller, inner stuff (or lose the motivation to take the time to do that and just cut right to the end hehe). I've had a lot of fun writing this fic and think it turned out more developed than half of my fics. So I'm trying not to screw it up now that I see the white light at the end of the tunnel on this. I Look forward to your thoughts on this chapter even though it mainly consisted of Hunter's thoughts :-D<p> 


	25. Feel the Pressure

Thank you Shannon and Nicole for reviewing the last chapter! I'm glad you all enjoyed. And haha yeah I try to provide balance with certain fics so that we (I'm a reader of my own fics just as much as I'm a writer lol) feel for both characters rather than completely siding with just one. Or that we understand where the one who's screwing things up is truly coming from and dislike them less. Lol

Thank you Iam1XDgenerate for reviewing all of those chapters! That's phenomenal! I truly loved reading your thoughts and hope that you will continue to enjoy this one!

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><p>Stephanie ran her hand along the pillow Hunter had been using while they stayed here. She swallowed hard and grasped it with her fingers.<p>

It was hard to remember a time that she felt so much pain all at once. She had multiple situations going on; dealing with Selene, living with the aftermath of what that jerk Ritche would have done to her...wondering what had happened in her childhood to fuck her up this badly.

And now to top it off, her husband had left her. Not because she'd lied to or mistreated him. But because she'd told the truth and he couldn't deal. This was precisely why she'd kept it to herself for so long. She just knew he'd bail. What guy wouldn't?

She picked the pillow up and held it tightly to her chest. Taking a deep breath, she felt wistful. His wonderful, lingering scent was on all the linen. That was why she hadn't switched rooms or hotels. If she concentrated hard enough, it was like he was still here with her. Like he hadn't just up and left at the time she needed him more than ever.

On the side of her, she heard the familiar ringing of her phone. It was facedown on the comforter where she'd last put it.

Swallowing hard again, she reached out and picked it up. Maybe it was Hunter. God, she hoped it was Hunter. She glanced down at the screen and felt a wave of disappointment wash over her. It was her therapist's office. No doubt, they were calling to remind her of her appointment. When it was, she had no idea. The days just seemed to bleed together in a strange jumbled haze.

Maybe the next time she fell asleep she just wouldn't wake up. She hadn't eaten or drank anything since Hunter's departure. Surely all of her crying was further depleting her water supply. Maybe she'd dehydrate herself to death.

It wouldn't hurt. She was too numb to anything not directly related to her current problems.

The phone buzzed, letting her know she had a voicemail. She opened the menu and prepared to delete it, huffing out a despondent breath. Her fingers hovered over the keys with absolute stillness.

Selene shook her head to clear the cobwebs from the change. Instead of deleting the message like Stephanie wanted, she played it. Her blue eyes glanced over at the digitial clock noting that according to this voicemail she had about an hour before the appointment.

An hour and a half later, Selene sat in Dr. Morgan's office explaining what had been going on for the last three days. Being that she didn't take over until the last minute, she'd had to meet him at the office. Strangely, she found that she was far too outraged to be jittery about confinement.

"I knew he would hurt her. I fucking knew it!" She hissed out.

The doctor tapped his pen against his notepad before setting it aside. "You have to realize how abnormal the situation is, Selene."

"Abnormal my ass. He's supposed to love her and as soon as she opens up all the way, he's gone." She snapped her fingers for emphasis. "Just like that!"

"I'm not condoning what he did. But look at it from his perspective. All the problems that have been happening in the marriage, then he's convinced she's cheating. Only to find out it's all been caused...well by you."

Selene widened her eyes. "So it's _my _fault he left?"

Dr. Morgan waved his hands to disagree. "You've always been a part of Stephanie. That's just how it's been. But Hunter didn't know a thing about you. It's like finding out that the last year of his life was a lie. He probably feels somehow betrayed. Maybe even hurt."

Selene looked at the doctor skeptically. She never thought of her existence as a problem. She was supposed to be a solution. But maybe she was failing, given that Stephanie was more down and out than ever. "Stephanie...she's so...I've never seen her this way before. I mean I've seen her hurt or depressed over situations. But this? She won't eat or drink anything. She spends half the day crying. She's shutting down, doc. I don't know how to help her," she admitted.

"Being that you two can't interact directly, the only thing you can do is take steps to help her resolve her past and start healing. She's dealing with a lot. Making some psychological progress may help lift her out of the depression."

Selene screwed her eyes shut tightly and visibly clenched her teeth. "I'm scared!" She blurted out.

Dr. Morgan blinked in shock, saying nothing. Selene portrayed herself as fearless, dominant and confident. Being that he was trained to see what people refused to, he could glean that the vast majority of Selene's behavior was rooted in fear. Fear that someone would hurt Stephanie; fear that someone would take advantage of her; fear that if Stephanie was left to run her life by herself she would crack under the pressure. But it was still surprising that she'd realized and admitted to that fear. "What are you afraid of, exactly? This is a safe space," he reminded her. It was doubtful he would get the full story today. There were precious few minutes left in their appointment.

Their next appointment was in just two days. But Selene had told him how Stephanie intended to blow off the appointment. It wasn't such a bad thing that the next meeting would probably just be with the alter. She was the one who held the key to Stephanie's mental state. Selene was the one with the story to tell.

And quite frankly, if Stephanie were in charge she might soon be hospitalized for physical health reasons. According to Selene, she hadn't been taking care of herself since her husband left. This was probably best for now, so he wouldn't suggest otherwise.

Selene opened her eyes, rubbing her palms together nervously. She spread her hands and looked down at them critically. Like she was inspecting them or waiting for something to suddenly appear. Or like she was seeing something that was only visible to her.

Blinking back her tears, she continued to stare at her hands. _Or is it our hands? _Selene wondered. Like it or not, she was simply an extension of Stephanie. A different part of her. A version that was hidden and only came out to do what was necessary. "I..." she began slowly, not sure how to word her thoughts. "I'm me," she said. Half of it sounded like a question.

Dr. Morgan nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. "Yes," he agreed. "You're Selene."

"But I'm her, too? I'm Stephanie..." She looked up, the expression on her face mirroring that of a lost little girl.

"Yes," Dr. Morgan agreed again. "You're a specific part of Stephanie that she hadn't been able to access when she created you."

Selene nodded and held her hands up to him, palms out. "I'm scared that she won't be able to take it. The truth. My hands...her hands." She brought them in front of her again, staring at her palms as if they were foreign to her. "Sometimes I can still see the blood," she admitted.

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><p>I think of fic like a novel. Except that it's in progress so there's no jumping ahead to the end to see if the good guy wins or the guy gets the girl, LOL. The reveal is coming VERY soon...like in the next 3 chapters soon so just hang in there. Trust me it's for the best! If I'd have blurted out the secret previously it would have killed the story haha.<p>

So Stephanie's fallen into a pit of depression and isn't bothering to try to stay in mental control. Selene's facade is finally cracking. And Hunter's torn up about leaving his wife in her greatest time of need. What do you guys think? What do you suspect will happen next?

Reviews = love :)


	26. Priorities

So! I think I'm just gonna concentrate on this one fic until it's done. We're soooooo close and most of it is written. Just need to do some more proofreading and editing to make sure everything fits right. I've been rearranging some content from certain end chapters. But anywho! Ch 27 will be *THE* therapy visit. Ch 28 will be a recap of the directly before, during and directly after events that screwed Stephanie's mind up. The end of that chapter will focus on Stephanie's reaction to hearing the truth.

Currently, this fic is going to end at chapter 31. Wish me luck! Thank you all for the replies to the previous chapter. I love that you guys are enjoying this fic so much and its making good use of my psych degree, LOL.

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><p>Selene entered the hotel suite, her Subway bag making noise as she fumbled with the key and her purse. She leaned against the door, using her body to push it open once the light blinked green.<p>

She dropped the purse on the couch and continued into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator and placed her turkey sandwich and soup on the top shelf. She'd eaten lunch at the popular chain; this was for dinner. Call her crazy but she didn't exactly feel like cooking.

The look on the doctor's face at the end of the previous afternoon's session had been rather unreadable. He didn't look completely surprised, but something about it unsettled and soothed her at the same time. Maybe because the look wasn't judgmental.

The Doc probably thought her and Stephanie had killed someone. They probably should have ended the lives of three or four miserable excuses for human beings. But no, they hadn't dealt out death.

Selene plopped down on the couch and switched the television on. Before she even got fully comfortable, there was a knock on the door.

Who could this be? She damn sure hadn't ordered any food. The maid service ran earlier in the afternoon. But only hotel staff really knew who occupied this room. To be on the safe side, she grabbed a pen from the table and stuck it in her jeans pocket.

If it was someone who intended to cause harm she would stab first and ask questions later.

Wanting a bit of the element of surprise, she walked over and yanked the door open without asking who it was.

Hunter's eyes widened at the quickness of the door flinging open.

Selene's eyes widened fractionally at the fact that he was here at all.

The man before her tilted his head in question, his brown eyes studying her. "Stephanie?" He questioned skeptically.

Lifting her chin defiantly, Selene crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorframe. "Nope," she answered.

Hunter blinked for a moment, continuing his study. He was trying to note any obvious differences between the two women who occupied this one body. "Selene?"

A smirk graced her lips. "Yup."

Hunter puffed his cheeks up and then blew out the breath he was holding, shifting nervously. He didn't want to talk to this one. He wasn't in love with this person. This woman had been toying with his professional and personal life for months. She'd been trying to wreck his marriage, no doubt.

Then again...she was technically and obviously the one he'd actually married. God, this was so messed up he didn't have words for it.

"Can I talk to Stephanie?" He asked awkwardly.

Selene's nose scrunched up. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me," she said simply.

This was ridiculous. He was _looking _at Stephanie. It was her body, her hair, her facial features. But he had to remind himself that it wasn't actually her. Despite the physical attributes, the two of them couldn't be more different. "Please?" He asked nicely.

"You know...I've been trying to get you away from her for months now. Actually, you were never really supposed to be together in the first place but that's another conversation. But I knew you'd hurt her and screw her over just like every other person she's ever been too close to."

"I won't hurt her."

"You already did! You walked out on her...after she told you the truth. After she pratically bared her fucking soul. She hasn't breathed a word of this to anyone but she chose to share it with you...and you threw it back in her face."

His head lowered with his guilt. "I know," he admitted. He hadn't meant to. He just wasn't sure how to deal. He felt that he needed time away to process everything. And he'd been right. His head was clear and his emotions were back on track. He knew what to do now. That's why he was here.

Hunter opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Selene.

"You thought that was bad? You couldn't deal with little old me lurking about?" She asked angrily, pushing off of the wall to get right in front of his face. "You don't want to know the story of how I came to be. I'm the least of Steph's problems."

Hunter shrugged. "I don't care. I don't care where she came from, where you came from or what she's been through...not beyond helping her through it anyway. Nothing else matters to me. Not you, not my career, not the marital drama or who caused it...not anything." Finally having enough of the attitude and wannabe intimidation by the alter, Hunter stepped forward. His hazel eyes burned with passion as he stared at Selene. "Stephanie is my priority, now fucking let her out so I can tell her that myself!"

Selene narrowed her eyes and stiffened her face. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm in love with her. And I'm here," he added sincerely.

"You hurt her again and there will be hell to pay," Selene warned while pointing her index finger at him.

"I won't," Hunter affirmed.

Selene nodded, though she was still skeptical. She supposed it did speak volumes that he'd even come back at all. He could have easily stayed wherever it was he'd just come from. She motioned for Hunter to follow her into the suite.

They stopped near the couch. "Before I...step aside, so to speak...I just want you to know how much of a wreck she's been since you left. Don't be surprised if she falls apart at the very sight of the person who broke her heart."

_Trying to scare me off, _Hunter thought. He definitely knew that it was the truth. But he also knew that this wasn't a simple heads up. She was trying to give him an easy out. He'd be pissed if he didn't recognize that Selene was genuinely trying to protect his wife. "I'll spend as much time as I need to, making up for it," he promised.

Reluctantly, Selene sat down on the couch. She pressed her hands to her temples, inhaling and exhaling deeply. She cut her eyes in Hunter's direction again. "I'm telling the Doc everything tomorrow...so she can start healing. She doesn't need more shit to deal with. So don't fuck this up," she suggested.

Hunter nodded seriously before cracking an amused smile. "Leave now, please," he requested.

Selene couldn't help herself; she let out a slight laugh. She then forced her mind to blank as she closed her eyes.

The first thing that Stephanie noticed was that she felt physically stronger. Her body had clearly had some food and water. Which meant that Selene must have taken over and done that for her. Stephanie knew she damn sure wasn't responsible for it. She'd been practically starving herself on purpose.

Hunter noticed an almost imperceptible change, even though the person before him hadn't really moved much. It was an aura kind of thing. But he could just tell he was looking at someone different now. "Stephanie?"

Stephanie squeezed her eyes shut tighter. _Just great, _she thought bitterly. Not only did she have a split personality, a mystery past that had fucked up her mind and a failed marriage; now she was hearing voices. Specifically, her estranged husband's voice.

What, had her mind split off again and turned Hunter into one of her personalities? Would she essentially have loving conversations with...herself basically to soothe the pain of his departure?

Trying not to panic, Hunter reached out and ran a hand through her hair, leaving his fingertips at the end of the strands.

_What the hell? _She thought. Now she was - what - caressing herself? Slowly, she fluttered her eyes open, looking down at her hands. They were both still in her lap, but she distinctly felt a hand in her hair as well.

Was she imagining people touching her? Was she really that far gone? The hand moved from her hair to her chin, lifting it upwards.

She flinched back in shock. "Hunter?"

"In the flesh," he answered with a timid smile.

"What are you doing here?"

Taking a chance, Hunter sat down on the seat beside her. He tried not to get upset at the fact that Stephanie scooted away from him a few inches. "I'm sorry that I bailed on you," he said. "The time apart really has helped me get my head right. But I know that that wasn't the best decision for your well-being."

"Huh." Ignoring most of the apology, she asked a question instead. "And what does your head tell you?" If he was done with her for good she'd rather get this conversation over with so he could go. And she could start spiralling into depression again most likely. Either way, she didn't see a good reason that any of this be prolonged.

Hunter smiled a little, noting that Stephanie was being a little cold to him. He wasn't surprised or offended. He'd expected no less since he'd given her good reason to shun him. All he cared about was making it better and supporting her fully from here on out. "That I love you more than anything else in this world and I'm going to stand by you no matter what," he said without hesitation.

Stephanie bit down on her bottom lip and turned her head away from him. "You don't mean that."

"I do. I know I hurt you very badly when I left. But please don't think that it wasn't hard for me to be without you these last four days."

Her head turned and she looked at him again with unshed tears in her eyes. Not wanting to make a huge emotional scene, she simply nodded. Only time would tell if what he was promising would last. For now she would just roll with it. At least then she wouldn't have to wonder "what if?"

"So now what?" She shrugged. "I mean do we just pick up where we left off?"

"Now, you bring me up to speed on what's going on. I want to be informed for when we go to therapy tomorrow. Selene said she's telling the therapist everything."

It felt like someone had thrown a dumbbell against Stephanie's chest. Her jaw dropped and she sat up, practically pinned against the couch cushions. "You-you're coming? You w-w-want to come?" She stammered.

Hunter leaned over, pressing a soft kiss to her parted lips. "Absolutely. I'm gonna help and support you however I can. I want to be there, if you want me there."

Stephanie blinked in response. "Okay," she said simply. She was too stunned to say anything else about it. She would finally know the secrets that her mind had hidden from her, for her protection. If Hunter meant what he was saying and didn't spaz out on her again, she'd feel better about the whole thing if he was there to comfort her.

For the next couple of hours, Stephanie told what she knew thus far. She lightly went over the happenings of her adolescence and time in college before getting right to the things that happened since her relationship with Andrew. That Selene had grown tired of watching Stephanie be mistreated and decided to do something about it. Posing as Stephanie, of course, she had convinced Hunter to marry her as a way to piss off her family. She knew that the embarrassment would cause them to vacate the company, practically handing over the keys to the throne to the two of them.

It was only supposed to be business. She hadn't wanted to complicate matters, but had ultimately been too attracted to Hunter to leave sex out of the equation. The kisses and touches that they shared publicly, to convince people they had a real relationship had proven to be too much for her to handle. She'd lasted two weeks into the marriage before she sought out a release...elsewhere, that is. But, Hunter had caught her and lectured her. And she decided that if he wouldn't allow her to pursue gratification as she saw fit, then she would have him instead.

After all, soon she would have everything she wanted and Hunter would then become disposable. So she saw no harm in mixing business with pleasure. Until the occasion of their union caused Stephanie to take over again. Ever since then, she had been trying to fight her way back to the surface. She was only able to manage that when Stephanie was too drained or stressed out to keep her mind strong enough to keep her at bay.

She made it a point to shake things up when she was able to, just to remind Stephanie who was really in charge. She wanted to ruin the marriage just because she was never supposed to have it and was convinced Hunter was no good So she'd been engaging in heavy flirtation with Kurt Angle, even going as far as convincing the man to try to take Hunter out permanently. When that halfway failed, Selene had convinced the guy she was in an abusive relationship.

She felt that Stephanie had no right to try to force her out after all these years of living side by side. Especially not since Selene protected Stephanie when people tried to use or screw her over. What she should have received was a thank you and instead Stephanie attempted to exile her and finally land the two of them in therapy.

Stephanie had to work overtime to calm Hunter down when she told him what happened with Ritchie. Though it was a somewhat traumatic event, she felt oddly thankful for it. The danger Selene posed to Stephanie's mental safety is what finally brought the wild woman under control and got her to agree to cooperate in therapy and stop trying to ruin Stephanie's relationship.

Hunter nodded, trying to digest everything that he had heard. "So I can tell that this is you now…but how will I know in the future?"

"Well until our personalities become integrated, you'd have to look inside yourself for that, and know whether or not it's really me."

He laughed uncomfortably. "This is crazy, Steph. We have _the_ most dysfunctional marriage."

She quickly shook her head. He had it all wrong. "You and I? No. Us; Hunter and Stephanie have always been relatively good," she clarified, "It's Hunter and Selene that have problems. Mostly because she's purposely causing them and doesn't actually love you."

Hunter shook his head slowly, feeling a little bit overwhelmed from all that he learned tonight. That he'd basically been married to two people at the same time. "I feel like I've been cheating on you."

"Well technically you married her," Stephanie pointed out. "But most of the time you were with me."

A guilty look crossed Hunter's face. So he hadn't cheated on Stephanie with Selene, but had cheated on Selene with Stephanie?

As if she sensed his thoughts, she quickly sought to explain the situation. "It seems like Selene popped up solely to plot or start shit with you and not to be your wife. Even still...we're in this body together, so it doesn't matter," she finished awkwardly. Upon seeing his guilty expression remain unchanged she sighed and laid her head against his shoulder. She felt comfortable enough to do that seeing as he remained planted to his seat, listening to the story eagerly. He hadn't run off yet and hopefully he never would again.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. His thoughts were all over the place and he stared at the wall. Finally, he absently asked, "Steph?"

"Yeah?" She asked, not lifting her head.

"How many conversations are we going to have to redo?" He wondered.

"Good question."

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><p>So I tried to throw in tiny amounts of funny things with HunterSelene and Hunter/Steph. You know, since this fic is supposed to be Angst/Humor. LOL.

What did you all think?

Reviews = love :)


	27. Let's Do This

Nothing much going on here. Just a bit of fluff as our interlude to the chapter about the past :)

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><p>Hunter wasn't entirely sure how today was going to play out. Right now, he and Stephanie were driving to her therapist's office.<p>

His wife had been bubbly all day, but he could easily tell that it was an act. Behind the smile he could see the apprehension. Stephanie wasn't very difficult to read - at least not to him. Which made him wonder why in the hell he hadn't picked up on the personality flips when Selene took over and tried to start problems.

The ignorance made him feel like he hadn't been a very good husband. Like he paid more attention to his wrestling career than to Stephanie.

In his defense...it wasn't technically Stephanie that he'd married and spent that first couple of weeks with. But he did create a life with her in the following months so that was still no excuse.

At what points would he be allowed in the room today? Stephanie wanted him to be here to support her. But it was Selene who'd be kicking off the session, telling the story of how she came to be in the first place. It was downright scary for Stephanie to just _know_ it was something awful, but be blind on the details.

Selene was the one who held the details. Would she want him in the room while she shared something so insanely personal? Though he'd married her...it wasn't real. It was just a contract. With Stephanie he had an actual marital relationship. His common bond with Selene was Stephanie. The main concern for both of them was Stephanie's well-being.

If Selene allowed him to listen in, it would give him some time to sort through the truth. When the doctor played the story to Stephanie, Hunter would know exactly when to support her. He could keep himself in check and just let her vent, scream, cry it out or whatever she needed. Then again, it was possible that he wouldn't be able to contain himself and actually ended up making things worse.

Maybe it was better to find out _with _Stephanie, rather than before her.

Either way, the decision shouldn't be and wasn't his. He was also out of time to contemplate as Stephanie swiftly pulled the car into a vacant parking spot. Hunter could walk again, but he didn't want to chance driving and wind up in an accident or reinjuring his ankle with the rapid movements.

Switching off the engine, she simply placed her hands back on the steering wheel.

When she didn't do or say anything, Hunter turned to look at her. She was squeezing the steering wheel so hard her fingers were beginning to turn red. After almost a full minute had passed Hunter asked, "Steph?"

"Yeah?" She replied, still staring ahead at the trendy, well-maintained building that the practice was ran out of. God, the entrance just looked so ominous today. Like it should have a danger sign plastered on it to ward people like her away. People who were possibily better off not knowing their entire history.

Hunter chewed on his lip, unsure of what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her that she didn't have to do this today; not if she wasn't ready. But when the hell was anyone ever ready for something like this? She'd gone on for years ignoring, suppressing and denying the problem. It was time for her to know the truth of how she got to be the way that she was. So he settled on a simple, "I love you and I'm here for you."

Stephanie turned to him but still kept her hands where they were. She gave a nod. "I know. I love you too."

Not caring whether or not she wanted the contact right now, he reached out and rubbed her upper back and neck, hoping it eased some of her tension and reassured her of what he was about to vow. "I mean all the way, Steph. I'm not gonna freak out on you again. I'm not gonna leave you. I'll do whatever I can to help. I promise."

Finally giving him a smile, she took her hands off of the steering wheel. She grabbed one of his hands in hers, intertwining their fingers. With the other hand she touched his cheek and drew him closer.

Hunter led the rest of the way into the kiss, his lips moving against hers softly. Stephanie broke the embrace but didn't draw back much. "Thank you," she said before pecking him on the lips once more.

"You ready?" He asked, brushing rebellious strands of hair out of her face. Today she'd chosen to wear her hair in a low, side ponytail. She'd curled it loosely, not wanting her look to be too complicated.

Stephanie shrugged and began picking imaginary lint from her purple top. "Ready as I'm gonna get," she replied and pulled away.

Inside Dr. Morgan's office, Hunter bounced his knee restlessly while the doctor explained what would happen during the session. He also updated Stephanie on what Selene had said during their last appointment.

Stephanie scrunched her nose up. Blood. Apparently on her hands. Dear God, did she kill someone? She shook her head in bewilderment. She didn't want to speculate too much. The bottom line is that she simply didn't remember a damn thing about any of this. But she would soon know everything. The doctor had cleared his schedule for the rest of the afternoon.

"Honey?" Stephanie said sweetly as she brushed her fingertips along Hunter's restless leg. "Not helping."

Hunter stopped what he was doing and gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Nervous."

Stephanie nodded. She wasn't doing any better in that category. But she was going to need to lean on her husband heavily, she sensed. Watching his anxious behaviors wasn't doing any good.

Unable to help himself, Dr. Morgan laughed. Even though the entire situation was very unfunny, their exchange had been undeniably cute.

After the hilarity died off, the atmosphere turned serious. "Whenever you're ready, Stephanie."

Stephanie nodded and turned to Hunter. "See you later." She squeezed his hand once before letting go and closing her eyes, exhaling deeply.

Hunter watched the change happen. There was a nearly imperceptible jolt before Selene opened her eyes.

Glancing around her surroundings briefly, she turned to Hunter. "I know Stephanie really appreciates you being here," she said to Hunter. "But I need it to be just me and Doc right now."

Wordlessly Hunter stood up and gave Selene a polite nod, acquiescing to her request. He excused himself from the room, closing the door behind him.

Dr. Morgan tended to start with pleasantries. Keeping things light to give you time to relax before you opened up. That's not how she wanted it to go. This had to come out as soon as possible before she lost her nerve.

Seeing that he was preparing to speak, Selene held up her hand for silence. "Let's do this," she said bravely and laid back against the couch. She'd never done that before but she needed it now since she'd just be spilling her soul for a good while.

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><p>Ready for THE chapter? Review, review, review! Last chance to speculate on what happened lol<p> 


	28. 1990

Okay! So I just couldn't wait! This chapter really doesn't need an intro. But I will say that it is awfully disturbing. It isn't overly graphic, but yeah...just remember this is fiction and I'm DEFINITELY NOT suggesting this really happened, not wishing it on anybody or making light of such situations.

This was possibly the most difficult chapter of any story I've ever written. I struggled with how far to take it, to make the story more effective. This is what I settled on. So with that said...enjoy the couple of humorous things that take place right before things go to pot. After that you might need tissues, like I did :'(

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><p><em>1990<em>

_Stephanie practically skipped down the street she lived on, heading home. Dance practice had been amazing today. They had begun rehearsing the choreography for MC Hammer's "U can't touch this." She bobbed her head along with the music playing on her walkman. She came to an abrupt stop on the sidewalk. "Stop! Hammer time," she sang while she danced along. She hadn't quite nailed the fancy footwork of the routine but she'd get it soon enough. Her dance break over, she began to walk again. "Every time you see me, the Hammer's just so hype," she sang in a mumble, walking up the steps to her home._

_Still nodding her head to the beat, she slid her key into the lock of the front door. She turned the key and was somewhat startled when the door flew out of her hand._

_"Dad."_

_Vince grabbed her by the arm, tugging her into the house. He shook his head and pulled her headphones off, tossing her walkman onto a nearby chair. "What the hell took you so long?" He whispered harshly._

_Stephanie shrugged. She was maybe ten minutes late. Her father had told her they were having a very special guest that it was imperative she meet. He mandated that she be home no later than five. Dancing up and down the street, with her new song on repeat had slowed her up just a tad._

_Vince shook his head with a sigh. "Doesn't matter," he decided. "Come on and meet our guest. He's gonna be a huge part of the WWF."_

_Suppressing her eye roll, she followed her father into the living room. They didn't have guests around this time unless it was someone interested in her father's wrestling idea. Why did he refuse to understand that she couldn't care less? She'd seen some of the people he intended to hire. They were big, sweaty and had muscles on top of muscles. It was gross._

_Vince let out a hearty laugh and nudged her, cueing her to be nice. "Hey look who just walked in!" He said with much excitement, moving out of the way so that she could be seen._

_Stephanie gave a strained smile to the person sitting at her family's dining room table. "Hello. I'm Stephanie," she greeted politely. The guy was about fifty years of age, balding and with salt and pepper hair. He was of average height, but tubby. His belly protruded over his pants. This was definitely not a wrestler. At least, she hoped to God it wasn't. If she had to eventually watch him fly and roll around the ring shirtless and wearing spandex, she was sure to hurl._

_"I'm Lucas Reynolds," he said, revealing a thick Russian accent. He dropped down to his knees in front of her, quickly grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. "Such a pretty girl," he observed. "It's my pleasure to finally meet you in person."_

_Ignoring the bile in her throat, she gave another strained smile and pulled her hand back._

_Vince cleared his throat suddenly. Stephanie looked up, trying to silently ask to be excused from the creepy guy in front of her._

_"Uh, Steph. I've got some business to handle. Give our guest whatever he wants, okay? He's a huge investor for us."_

_Without waiting for a reply, Vince scurried off through the house and up the stairs. Stephanie watched him go, a confused and irritated look on her face._

_She turned back to the investor and wasn't sure what to do next. God knows she didn't want to stay down here, certainly not with him. He gave her the creeps._

_Mr. Reynolds smiled at her and moved to sit down again, pulling the reluctant girl onto his lap. She struggled immediately._

_In his thick accent he said, "Stop squirming, child. Your father said give me what I wanted."_

"_Let me go!" She screamed, trying to wriggle out of his grasp. She got a hand free and slapped him in the face as hard as she could._

_Reynolds quickly let her go, but stood up. The scene moved in slow motion, as if she was paralyzed from shock. But in reality things just happened so fast she wasn't able to anticipate it._

_He bent his arm downward and swung it towards her with amazing force. The back of his hand hit her hard on her right cheekbone. She hollered out in pain as the impact of a such a blow sent her petite, frightened body backwards onto the dining room table._

_Before she could regain her bearings, the large man was on top of her, pinning her small body underneath his and clawing at her clothing like some wild beast._

_"Help!" She cried out. "Help me!" Underneath the large man she struggled and tried to get away from him._

_"Daddddddddddy!" She screamed as loud as she possiby could, the tears rushing down her face rapidly while she tried with everything in her to get him off._

_On the second floor, rock music began to play suddenly. Inside her head, she panicked even more, worried that her father woudn't be able to hear her over the beat and lyrics of The Rolling Stones hit song "Rock and a Hard Place."_

_"Goddamn spandex," the sorry excuse for a man growled in frustration while he tried to pull her leggings off as she kicked and wriggled furiously._

_He was eventually successful; all that was left of the bottom of her outfit was the tutu. There was very little separating him from the innocence covered by the material of her underwear._

_As soon as a break in the lyrics happened, she screamed again as loud as she could. "DADDY, HELP ME!" She shivered with fear and disgust as she felt his slimy hands touch her calves and move upwards._

_"DAAAAAAAAAAAD!" Her voice hitched on her panicked cries right before the man put a hand over her mouth to shut her up. He pushed down on her mouth so roughly that the side of her face was pressed into the table._

_Her wide, frightened, blue eyes tried to focus through the onslaught of tears. Looking for anything or anyone that could help her. Her mom was out of town on business and Shane was sleeping over a friend's house after baseball practice. Their house was in a somewhat secluded location, with the closest neighbors being a quarter of a mile away._

_A choked sob tried to escape her lips as she felt the waistband of her underwear being tugged and ripped at. She shut her eyes tightly, not understanding why this was happening or why her father wouldn't help her. She'd screamed loudly before the music came on. He'd had to have heard her. He was just choosing to ignore her._

_The large man above her reached a hand down between them and she heard the fumbling of his belt and the loose change in his pocket._

_He gave a grunt of satisfaction after no doubt freeing himself. She tried to scream again but it just came out as a tortured groan underneath the man's hand. The wetness of the endless tears she was shedding was running down the table and touching her shoulder through her marred shirt._

_Her heart was thundering in her chest already, but she felt it skip a beat and then somehow beat faster as she felt him brush his private area up against hers. Her eyes snapped open as she felt him begin to try to push forward._

_No progress was being made, but it hurt like hell as he tried to force his way inside._

_This isn't happening, she told herself. It's not happening. Things like this happen to some girls. But not to me. Not to me. This is someone else's life. Someone else's nightmare. Not mine, she thought firmly._

_Stephanie's head pounded and her vision went hazy as Reynolds tried and failed to push forward again. This was...this was too much for her to bear. She swore to God she felt like she was going to pass out right here and now. Once again, she closed her eyes tightly, willing for this to just be over._

_Pain. Blinding, searing pain told her that her life was forever changed. It felt like a branding iron had just split her in half. The grating yell that followed sounded nothing like her own._

_Selene opened her eyes quickly. They were wide and filled with fear and panic. Reynolds buried his head against her neck. She turned her head as much as she could, desperately trying to minimize bodily contact in any way possible._

_That's when she saw it. It sat atop a pile of paperwork and envelopes, the shiny, silver object glinting in the sunlight._

_She used all her strength to wrench one arm from underneath the heavy pig on top of her. She grabbed at the finely crafted, expensive letter opener. Her slender fingers wrapped around it tightly, raising it high above them._

_Selene stabbed the man in his cheek, driving her makeshift weapon into his skin as hard as she could._

_They both let out screams that didn't quite sound human and Reynolds immediately withdrew and flinched back from her, falling to the floor. His large body made the dining room rumble from the impact._

_She carefully sat up on the table, staring daggers at him. She heard the sickening sound of the letter opener leaving his flesh, the man whimpering loudly every time he tried to ease the item out. A loud groan passed his lips as he finally got it all the way out of his cheek, allowing the item to drop to the floor. In shock, he looked at the puddle of blood pooling on the hardwood floor and then back up to her._

_Whatever he saw in her eyes, it was enough to make him leave. Holding his hand to his cheek, he stumbled, continued to groan with pain and halfway crawled his way to the front door, leaving a trail of blood behind him as the open wound continued to drip._

_Seconds later he was out of their home and out of their lives._

_Calmly, Selene got down from the table and walked into the kitchen to retrieve a steak knife. She ran it across her finger lightly, testing its sharpness. In the chair Mr. Reynolds had first tried to assault them in, she sat and waited. She didn't make any move to repair their outfit or stop the swelling on their face. Whenever Vince came down she wanted him to see exactly what the fucker did to them. It would either confirm or deny her suspicions._

_Many minutes later, the music finally came to a stop. There was dead silence throughout the house._

_From above, she heard a door open. Vince was coming down the stairs. She could hear his footsteps as they approached. She sat perfectly still and though it hurt, crossed her legs to project strength and preserve what little shreds of dignity they had left. Her arms were behind the chair, hiding the knife._

_Vince's eyes went wide as he surveyed the scene. Half of Stephanie's clothes were tossed carelessly on the floor, with blood stains not far away. Her right cheek was an angry swell of red. Her shirt was tattered and on halfhazardly. He gulped hard. "Where's Lucas? He's worth a lot of money to us! You did give him what he wanted, didn't you?" Vince said rapidly and with a hint of panic, as he looked around for his investor._

_Any reservations she had about what she wanted to do had vanished. How dare this bastard ask her that after what he'd clearly orchestrated. After the clear evidence he saw right in front of his face._

_After he'd drowned out Stephanie's terrified screams and sat upstairs pretending nothing was going on._

_Vince came to stand right in front her, his eyes stern as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "STEPHANIE, tell me what happened!"_

_Being called by a name that wasn't hers knocked Selene out of her contemplative state. Under his hand, she tensed and quickly reached out with the knife, cutting into the area nearest her. Vince yelled out in pain, holding his shaking hands up like he had no idea what to do about the knife stuck in his hip at this moment._

_Selene's eyes went cold and hard and she dug deeper, dragging the blade to the left, creating a three-inch wide gash._

_Vince yelled again and recoiled from her, pressing his hands to his bleeding hip._

_Selene stood up; Vince was hunched just below her height, in pain. She held the blade to his neck and her ice blue eyes narrowed to slits. "Your friend is on his way to the hospital. You try any shit like this again and I'll slit your fucking throat next time," was her low, dangerous answer to his question._

_Vince eagerly nodded, watching with wide, frightened eyes while his daughter simply dropped the knife to the floor. She pushed past the sorry excuse for a father and up the stairs to Stephanie's room, slamming the door shut behind her._

_Her chest heaved with her ragged breaths and her entire body felt unclean. Like there were bugs crawling all over her. She whimpered in desperation as she paced the floor of the room, not sure what to do next. She lifted her hands, preparing to run them over her face and into her hair._

_But the blood - all the blood...stopped her. Her whole body shook as she stared at her palms. Slowly, she turned her hands over and saw that the back of her hands were covered in red also._

_She desperately wanted to wash her hands. This was the blood of two horrible people. Dirty people. People that had hurt them. She wanted to wash the blood away but didn't want to contaminate anything in the room._

_The blood was poison. Whatever it touched, was poison. She was poisoned now._

_She looked at her hands in complete shock and horror, but felt the tears trailing down her face. Could feel the warmth and taste the salt. Her breathing hitched with her escalating emotions as the gravity of the last half an hour of their life weighed down on her._

_"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" She screamed out through her tears, dropping to her knees with her bloody hands still out in front of her._

Present Day

The tape ended and no one in the room said a word. Stephanie had started clutching Hunter's hand as soon as Selene got to the part about Vince leaving her alone with the investor. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what would soon come.

When Selene reached the part about the large man climbing on top of her, Stephanie had shifted and grabbed Hunter's arm instead. He held her close and had tried to just contain his own anger at what they were hearing. About what had happened to his wife.

Stephanie stared ahead in a disconnected fashion, her eyes filled to the brim with tears. "My father sold me," she whispered. "I was...I was...I...I-" she hiccupped as she tried to hold on to her emotions.

A little part of him died, every time her body shook with her sobs. He wished he could do something to help her. Something tangible and more effective than just rubbing her arms. "Shhh baby," Hunter said soothingly. "You don't have to say it."

Stephanie shook her head defiantly even as tears continued making their way down her face. Yes, she did need to say it. She needed to say all of it. She'd ended up with a split personality due to an inability to handle what happened to her. Due to forcing herself into an extreme state of denial. She wasn't going to do that. Not anymore. It was high time to face it head on.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she turned to her husband. "I was raped," she said fiercely.

Hunter stiffened his jaw and looked anywhere but at her. He was trying his hardest to be strong for her but it was hard. Aside from wanting to beat the living holy hell out of Vince, Hunter honestly felt like crying right along with her. He couldn't believe that a member of her very own family had done this to her. Had just purposely left her alone to be violated.

No person deserved for that to happen to them. If it happened to a stranger he'd be ready to defend and comfort them. The fact that this happened to the woman he loved made his feelings damn near inexplicable in their intensity.

Vince would get his for setting the whole thing up. Other than that, there was no one for him to beat up for this. Who knows where Reynolds was a decade later. Stephanie had told him everything in the last couple of days. He knew about Ritchie and would gladly give him a double ass-kicking, letting him stand in for the investor. But he didn't know where that punk was either. There was no one that he could make pay for these atrocities.

"He-he beat me," Stephanie stopped her recollection to sniffle and wipe at her eyes. "Here," she added, touching a hand to her right cheekbone. "And his hands...his slimy, chubby hands," she said with obvious disgust and discomfort. "All over me. Pushing, pulling, tearing," she trailed off softly and breathed deeply. Hyperventilating wasn't healthy and she was trying her hardest to stay in control of herself. "He couldn't fit...inside. At first...I was too small," she said softly. "It hurt so badly and kept getting worse." Stephanie flinched as the images played for her. They were broken and jumbled, like an obscure movie trailer.

"I...Hunter I think I'm remembering," she realized with a combination of amazement and regret.

When Hunter pulled her closer, she didn't try drawing away. Instead, she buried her head in his chest as her crying began to shake her body.

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><p>This one has a happy-ish ending , I promise! Bare with me...<p> 


	29. What I've Done

You can all thank Nicole that the rest of this fic is gonna be posted within the next 24 hours. She thinks it should all be read at once, like a book. LOL

This chapter wasn't originally included, I wrote it just now so that these things weren't left hanging. So now this fic ends at ch. 32. Le sigh! Enjoy!

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><p>Hunter twisted his lip as he glanced over at Stephanie sitting at the bar of the kitchen. Her hands were clasped in front of her and her head was tilted down. She'd taken her hair out of the ponytail and it fell in soft waves around her face.<p>

Glancing up at her every couple of seconds, he stirred the chocolate mix into the hot water before dropping a few mini marshmallow's into it. She loved hot chocolate for its soothing warmth and sweet flavor. It always helped her when she was sad.

Not wanting to startle Stephanie, he walked slowly and sat the mug down in front of her.

Stephanie looked up at him. The expression on her face practically broke his heart. She looked like a little girl who lost everything she loved all at once. "Thank you," she said softly and reached out for the steaming hot cup, blowing at it with disinterest.

She'd been like this ever since they returned from therapy. Quiet, distant, staring at her hands. What she found out today had stripped something very dear away from her, even though she felt that the knowledge was empowering.

It was the memories that were putting that haunted look on her face. One minute she'd be with him, coping...and the next she'd get this faraway look in her eyes as she went to pieces over whatever scene that had just played out for her.

It was killing him that he couldn't protect her from the pain. Not this time; not this kind. It wasn't in his nature to sit back and do nothing. He needed some sort of task or assignment. Even if it was just to put an arm around her while she wept. Even if it was to tell her that she was amazing; the bravest and best person he'd ever known. That was the God's honest truth so it's not like it'd be difficult to say it.

Hunter sighed and reached his fingers out to lift her chin. "Talk to me, Steph. What can I do?"

The lost little girl shook her head sadly, blinking back a fresh wave of tears.

Determined not to let her shut him out, he persisted. "There has to be something. Even if it seems small and is just holding your hand."

Stephanie shook her head again and sat the mug down. "Hunter I...you shouldn't be here."

Startled, he widened his eyes and took a step back to stand up straight. His arms dangled at his sides loosely. "What?"

She bit down on her lip. "You shouldn't be mixed up in my mess. I did this shit to myself," she told him.

Anger coursed through every vein and radiated through every single pore. She had gotten over the denial stage in therapy today. Now it seemed that she'd entered the guilt phase. She was blaming herself for what happened to her. Because it was easier to take false responsibility than to accept that something was totally out of your control. To admit that you'd been totally helpless.

"That's bullshit!" He told her, not caring how harsh his tone was. He'd be damned if he let her do this to herself. "It's complete crap! The only thing you did was defend yourself, Stephanie. What happened wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was!" She disagreed. On the car ride over, she'd mulled over the situation in her head. All day long her father had tried to prepare her to meet his investor. He was a very important person; someone necessary to the WWF getting off the ground. She'd been given an assignment; to do as the man asked. A good daughter would have obeyed her father. And she hadn't. She'd resisted and it had gotten her hurt. It got others hurt, also. "I was disobedient. I didn't listen to my father. If I'd listened that wouldn't have happened! Reynolds wouldn't have hurt me."

"Your father is a fucking idiot!" Hunter yelled. "He's such a pathetic human being that he doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as you." Hunter clenched his hands. "When I get my hands on him, he'll be lucky if he's able to breathe at all," he seethed lowly. If she kept blaming herself, he was going to need to destroy something. He'd make sure he was far from her when it happened...but he'd have to smash, clench or throw whatever was in his path to let out the aggression.

Hunter took a deep breath and walked around to her side of the island. He sat down on the bar stool next to her and literally spun her chair around so that she was facing him. "You're strong, Steph. And beautiful inside and out. No one is responsible for what happened except for them. You did nothing wrong. You hear me? You were an innocent child."

Stephanie blinked rapidly but wasn't able to stop the tears from falling. "I'm not innocent, Hunter! Look at my fucking hands!" She held them up for him to see even though she logically knew nothing was there. "Look what I've done!"

He grabbed her hands and placed them on his shoulders. Stephanie looked down instead of at him. But that was fine, as long as she was listening. "You did what you had to, to protect yourself. You could have and in my opinion should have done more to those assholes. But you didn't, because you're too good of a person for that. You were too good to hurt them as much as they hurt you."

Against his shoulders, she moved her fingers around and finally clutched at his shirt a little bit. "You...you really think so?" She asked softly, looking up at him again.

"I know so," he said with a gentle smile. He used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. His hazel eyes scanned her watery blue ones, noticing that his words were having an effect on her. "Don't you ever blame yourself for this again, baby."

Stephanie nodded and sniffled.

"Now as for your thoughts that I shouldn't be here? There's nowhere else I'd rather be. I know I messed up before, but I meant it when I promised I wouldn't abandon you. I'm not going anywhere," he said seriously.

A raised eyebrow was her initial reply. She believed him. So far he was the glue holding her together. He saw right through her and picked her up when she beat herself down over this.

But he was wrong, if he planned not to leave her side. "Yes you are going somewhere," she disagreed.

"The hell I am! You stay, I stay. That's the way it works."

Stephanie cracked a smile. His determination warmed her insides. That she really did have someone that she could trust with her feelings. With her deepest, darkest secrets and fears. With her heart.

It was only four in the afternoon. They had plenty of time. She didn't care what the cost was; but this had to be done. And it had to be done today. "We're not staying. We're going to Greenwich and I'm going to see Vince."

Hunter was shocked, but he wouldn't bother telling her what not to do. Unless she started talking nonsense like earlier, he'd give her whatever she wanted. He stood up from the bar stool, pulling her up along with him. "Guess you better put a dent in that cocoa and I better get to packing," he suggested lightly.

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><p>The most revealing part of the story was definitely ch. 28. But don't worry, there's more secrets to come tumbling out! Stay tuned!<p> 


	30. Serenity

Stephanie had driven here alone. Hunter wanted to come with her but she had insisted that she needed to do this solo. She needed answers. She needed to stand up for herself. By herself. She needed to face her past and the man who had ruined her life and quite literally shattered her mind.

She couldn't do that if Hunter was too busy shattering Vince's face.

He wasn't happy about it, but he'd stayed outside their house as she left. Watched as her car disappeared down the street while she drove over to the house of her childhood.

The locks were the same and she used her key to enter. She walked through the mansion slowly.

Now that she knew what all had transpired here, it looked so much different to her. She walked to the dining room, running her hands along the wood of the table. After all these years and all of this success, her family hadn't gotten rid of it. At this moment, it disgusted her to recall the meals that she and everyone else had eaten here, not realizing the horrors that occurred on it.

The memory of her screams...her bloodcurdling, sob wrenched screams filled her mind. It was so vivid that she visibly jumped, swearing she could really hear it.

She shook her head to try to force the memories out. She had to focus. She'd come here for a reason.

As she approached the study, she saw that the light was on. Her father was in there. She took a deep breath and gripped the handle tightly.

God, she was on the verge of having a panic attack. Maybe she should have let Hunter come. Maybe she just wasn't ready for this and should have spent a few days hibernating at home.

Faintly, she heard the sound of papers rustling and the clack of the keyboard. Anger began to course through her. It was business as usual for him, no doubt. Here she was on the verge of a breakdown because of what he'd done...and he was just going through life unaffected while she fell apart.

She turned the handle and pushed the door open harshly, satisfied when the back of the door hit the wall.

Vince swiveled around in his leather executive office chair, eyes wide and shocked.

"What the hell, Stephanie? Have you forgotten how to knock?"

"I had a very interesting time in my therapy session today."

"Therapy? Why in God's name are you in therapy?"

"Because apparently an event so traumatic happened that my brain felt the need to create another personality to deal with the pain. That's why I'm here." She paused to lick her lips, unsure of whether or not she really wanted to hear the answer to her question. "Did you really sell me in one of your business deals when I was fourteen?"

Vince closed his eyes tightly and remained silent for a moment. "Yes."

His eyes stayed closed but he heard her quick footsteps; the sharp, loud sound of her slap. Her quiet sobbing. He reached up to rub his sore cheek as he finally opened his eyes to look at her.

"How could you do that to me, to your own daughter?" She cried.

"I tried everything, Stephanie! I said I'd give him an obscene amount of interest for his investment. Stock options. Whatever he wanted. But all he wanted was you. I was trying to secure our financial future and truly get the WWF off the ground! What choice did I have?"

"Your _choice _was to prostitute me in exchange for his money? You selfish son of a bitch!" She hissed out. She slapped him again but the satisfaction she felt from seeing his head nearly spin around his shoulders was hollow.

There was a stillness in the atmosphere. The only sound was the low hum of the computer. Vince just stared at her, blinking like he had no idea what to do or say now.

Meanwhile Stephanie's expression was a mixture of fury and devastation. After hearing Selene relay the events of that horrible day, it was like the walls of her mind came crumbling down. The barrier that had protected her from the pain for so long just dissolved and went away. She began to remember for herself, what had happened. What Vince had done. What she had done in response.

"Show me the scar," she commanded. "It wasn't exactly me that put it there, but I need to see it," she explained.

Vince hesitated before standing up from his chair. He lifted his shirt and folded the right corner of his jeans down. A three-inch wide, slightly raised scar greeted them.

If there was any doubt to the story Selene told, it was all gone now. She couldn't run from the reality that she'd really stabbed two people.

The image of the traumatized, shaking teenager invaded her mind, projecting her very own blood-soaked hands in front of her. It was so close and seemed so real that she almost felt like she could reach out and touch it.

Stephanie was brought back to the present time, realizing her father was trying to explain himself. She'd totally spaced out and disconnected while she'd allowed the events to flood her brain and make her aware of everything. While she remembered what Selene remembered.

Vince rambled mindlessly, having no clue she hadn't yet heard a damn thing he said. "...he didn't cancel the hefty check he'd written."

"Who cleaned the blood?" Stephanie interrupted.

Vince eyed her strangely, not knowing where that came from. "I did."

Stephanie nodded absently, rubbing her palms together nervously. She opened her hands and looked down, half expecting them to be covered in red a full decade later.

Vince cleared his throat and continued his side of things. "The next day you seemed fine. You weren't angry or anything. It was like it hadn't happened. I kept waiting for you to have a reaction – to tell your mom or Shane, to come after me again. But, you didn't. You didn't explain the bruising. Said you didn't remember and must have bumped into something. I figured you'd just understood, forgiven me and become my little girl again."

"I screamed and I screamed for you," she whispered. "I begged for help." Stephanie shook her head sadly, the tears falling down her face as she stopped trying to shut out the misery. "And you didn't come for me. You-you," her breath hitched and she hiccupped trying to hold on to her composure. "You didn't protect me. You drowned me out...y-y-you left me there to be...to be raped by him."

"That's not what I had in mind, Steph," Vince disagreed.

Stephanie laughed resentfully, wiping the tears away before she could taste any more of them. "Oh, that's right. I was supposed to go along with it. Is that what you're getting at?" She screamed. "That it's my own fault I was attacked, beaten and violated because I should have just obeyed you and given myself to that fat fucking piece of shit so you could get your money?"

Vince's eyes lowered guiltily. That was exactly the plan, when he'd made the agreement. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

She shook her head in bewilderment at his nerve. He'd seriously just asked her that. Unless he had a time machine and could take it all back, there wasn't a damn thing he could do that would make it okay. "There is nothing - absolutely NOTHING you can do to make up for it!" She yelled. "And look at all the other shit you've pulled in my life after that!"

Vince shrugged helplessly because he didn't know what else to do. "Why did you come to see me? You already knew the truth..."

"There's one thing that I want," she said mysteriously. By his own admission, he'd still received his investment. He'd still achieved his dreams, at the cost of her young mind literally going to pieces.

"Name it," he offered eagerly.

Stephanie wiped the lingering tears away, pulling herself together emotionally. She took a deep breath. "The WWF. Step down. Then I want you to give me your part of ownership of the company. Mom and Shane can stay. But you've got to go."

An uneasy laugh passed his lips at the fact that his daughter looked like she wasn't kidding. The WWF? He'd worked his entire adult life to make it what it was. He'd been willing to sacrifice everything - including her - to make it a success. Yes, he felt bad for what he'd done. But it was in the past. If he handed over the company, all of the toil and even the suffering would be in vain. Even though all he had suffered was a stab wound and a guilty conscience. "That's preposterous. Surely, we can-"

In a conspiratorial tone she said, "If you don't...I'll make damn sure you lose absolutely everything. The press will eat you alive, no one will do business with you, none of your stars will stick around, Mom and Shane will disown you." She raised her eyebrows. "Speaking of Mom! Given that you've been unfaithful and there's proof, I'm sure she'll take you to the cleaners in a divorce. And call me crazy, but I'm sure that what you did to me translates into various crimes."

"You can't possibly-"

She nodded. "I can. I will. I'm being generous, really. Whatever is currently in your bank account, you can keep. I just want you out of the business that you loved so much that you were willing to trade my safety and emotional well being...more than once, I might add. This business was built at the cost of my sanity; you owe it to me. I'm letting you choose how you want your run to end. Choose wisely...and quickly." Unable to stand the sight of him any longer, she turned and walked over to the door.

Vince watched with curiosity while his daughter froze wordlessly in the doorway. She turned back around to face him. Her expression was blank, her stare vacant.

"Stephanie?" He asked curiously.

The woman before him simply shook her head to the contrary. "Let me clue you in Vince. You'll want to bow out quietly." Her tone was cool and calm compared to what it had been just a few minutes prior.

Completely ignoring her suggestion he narrowed his eyes and pointed a finger in accusation. "Are you the one who stabbed me 10 years ago?"

Maintaining her composure, she licked her lips. "No," she admitted. "I'm Serenity."

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><p>I'll let you guys mull over that one for a bit, LOL!<p>

Sidebar: in this fic the WWF isn't publicly traded yet. Only the McMahon family trades the stocks around among themselves. And in Duality-world they don't oppose Stephanie's relationship outright but they do still keep their distance, hence their absence in the fic.


	31. Scars

Patience really isn't one of my most developed qualities. LOL. Enjoy this one while it lasts, people. Just one more chapter to go!

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><p>What the hell was going on here? How was this even possible? Stephanie looked the same, but her demeanor was completely different. The way she carried herself and her facial expressions were very different. Vince eyed the woman in his daughter's body with a puzzled frown. "And what do you do? Obviously you're not as violent or pissed off as either of them."<p>

"I...keep things in line, if you will. If I feel Stephanie can handle a situation, I let her. If she can't I'll let Selene do it," she explained simply. Her voice was deeper than Stephanie's but not manly. It was simply authoritative.

The technical term for what she was, was gatekeeper. She was the head honcho of Stephanie's mind. She decided who could come out and when. She decided what memories each personality had access to.

Serenity could take over whenever she wanted...or allow or keep any personality from taking over. Most of the time she simply chose to observe and calculate. Somebody had to be the rational, unemotional one.

This was a special situation, though. Simply because neither Stephanie or Selene knew the full story.

Vince narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Why appear now?"

"I'm just backing her up in case you need an extra push to give her what she wants."

Vince raised his eyebrows. "And how do you plan to do that?"

Serenity walked over to Vince's desk and perched herself on the edge. She crossed her jean-clad legs casually as if she couldn't be more comfortable at this very moment. "Dissociative identity disorder," she murmured almost wistfully. "Let me tell you about it...A child's looser grip on reality and ease of believing anything they're told allows them to distance themselves from some situations. So when a child is traumatized they can pretend it didn't happen or that it happened to someone else. With DID those memories and feelings are forced into the subconscious. Later, those things return in the form of an alter. A separate personality, you see. The alter is there to perform certain functions. Selene is Stephanie's way of fighting back. Of being heard. Me? Well, I'm just here to mediate really."

"So Stephanie repressed the whole business deal incident and that created the two of you?"

Serenity smiled easily. The smug old bastard really thought he'd gotten away with it free and clear. And why wouldn't he? No backlash had occurred, no one had come forward to confront him. No one had stabbed him. The situation must have just sort of faded away from his perspective. "I'm sure you wish that was the case. But no. Stephanie made herself forget the tapes."

Vince tried and failed to convey his lack of knowledge. "Tapes?"

"You never got a chance to show them to anybody. Not that I'm aware of anyway. See, one day after dance practice, Stephanie's neck was a little sore. She sat on her bed and cranked it to the side trying to alleviate the ache. And she saw a red light...behind the large vanity mirror in her bedroom. The curious little cat, she moved it and she found a video camera. She watched the tape that was on it. She saw herself on the phone with friends, dancing away in her room, getting dressed for school, practice, bed...getting undressed to take showers. She knew what this meant. Somebody was spying on her. Taping her most intimate, private moments. But she had no idea who or why until you crossed the screen while her mother had been out dropping her off at school. And you weren't alone. Some guy in a suit was with you. You wanted to make sure the camera was on and positioned as he wanted it. Well, that broke her heart. More importantly, it broke her 9 year old mind. So she locked it away entirely. She created me then...and I just woke up early every morning to swap out your damn near child porn tape with a blank. You left her alone after your failed attempts to sell tapes of her to your associates. So I didn't need to do anything else. But years later when you told her to be home at 5 pm because it was important she meet your associate, I knew you'd tried to sell her again. So I allowed her to create Selene."

Serenity examined her nails briefly before sending him a smile. "You know, cause I'm not a violent person," she said casually.

"No one will believe you," Vince insisted. "You can't prove anything. The fact that Stephanie has this condition means that anything that comes out of her mouth – damn it ANY of your mouths will be disregarded!"

Serenity shook her head in disappointment. "Didn't you hear me say I swapped the tapes? I have them, Vince. You're on every last one of them. Constantly coming in to see if the camera is working, see if the angle is right. You were even stupid enough to talk about your plans right there in Stephanie's room. You don't want to try me, Vince. You don't want to fuck with us," she warned in an eerily cool voice that sent a shiver down Vince's spine. "Think about what we've said. Stephanie has been through enough. You've put her through enough. You have until tomorrow morning to decide."

Vince's eyes widened. Not even a full day? No way. "Stephanie didn't give me a timeline," he pointed out smugly.

"Stephanie's not in charge. You have until tomorrow morning," she repeated as she returned to the last spot that Stephanie would remember being in. She didn't need to concentrate or close her eyes. She could appear and disappear at will, as was characteristic of the gatekeeper personality. She simply let herself fade into the subconscious.

That night, Hunter pulled Stephanie closer and kissed her on the cheek. After the visit to her father, she had immediately sought out her husband to share what happened with him. He'd been her rock through this whole thing and she was glad she hadn't kept things to herself any longer than she had.

They sat together on the couch, Stephanie's legs draped casually over his lap and his arm around her waist.

Vince McMahon slapped reporters away from him as he made his way through the crowd trying to get to his waiting limo. He kept his head low and just kept repeating, "No comment."

The crawl on the bottom of the news program was simple and to the point:

_"Vince McMahon abruptly hands WWF over to his daughter, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley."_

Neither of them smiled at this news. Too much pain had been endured to get to this point. Stephanie's mind had been broken and their marriage had been close to it. But with time they knew all wounds would be healed...even if there were some scars left behind.


	32. Goodbye My Angel

Welllll...I don't like to toot my own horn. But BEEP BEEP. Methinks this is the best thing I've ever written. And this chapter is probably my favorite angsty one that I've written.

Hope you all enjoyed the rollercoaster ride that was "Duality." Be sure to drop your thoughts as you bid this one farewell :-). It was a pleasure reading all of the reviews and answering all the PMs. Thanks for sticking with it! Smooches to all of you guys!

With that said...ENJOY!

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><p>Two weeks later<p>

Stephanie stood on the balcony of she and Hunter's penthouse apartment, leaning against the railing. Call her crazy...but following the confrontation with Vince, she had zero desire to stay in Greenwich. Too many bad things had happened to her here. She felt like jumping out of her own skin anytime she was in her very own home. Probably due to its proximity to her parent's home.

Hunter had completely understood. Given what she'd been through and the memories she had to deal with, his priority was to make her feel safe and comfortable. They both adored their house but he wasn't going to force her to live in a city that would hinder her progress.

He'd simply asked her where she wanted to go. And she picked New York City; he'd jumped on the hunt and had them moved into their new place before the weekend was up. Being rich and well-connected certainly had its benefits.

The wind blew her hair to the side and she sighed at the sensation.

Hunter had intended to milk his injury and pretend he was progressing slowly. But now that Stephanie owned the biggest piece of the pie, he didn't even have to worry about that. He would return when she was well enough to come on the road with him and not one minute before.

At Stephanie's request he refrained from ripping Vince a new asshole. There was no way Vince would take it lying down. And Stephanie was very concerned Hunter would end up in jail. She'd teased that she might develop another personality from the stress. She was kidding about a new personality. But she was serious about the stress and pain it would cause her. So, contrary to his instincts he hadn't laid a hand on Vince. Neither of them even contacted the guy after the transfer of ownership was official.

Tomorrow Stephanie would begin her new course of treatment. She'd taken a short break from therapy to sort through her own feelings and to come to a place of acceptance with what happened to her.

They'd returned to Austin, Texas after getting settled in New York. They needed to collect their things and meet with the therapist one last time. Stephanie was tired of living out of a hotel and just wanted some stability. A base, if you will. So she'd asked Dr. Morgan to find her an awesome therapist in New York and he'd done exactly that.

They had yet to meet the new therapist in person, but she did have a phone consultation. Now that every aspect of the past was completely out in the open it was time to begin integrating Selene's personality with hers. No longer would they be two separate people. They'd be one, just as nature had originally intended.

In a way, Stephanie was kind of sad. After knowing what Selene had been through - what she had taken and dealt with on her behalf...well, she was kind of like her guardian angel. _An angel who has a halo and a serpent's tail at the same time, _Stephanie thought with a smirk.

Honestly, she wasn't even upset at the questionable things Selene had done over the years. She understood it perfectly now. She appreciated it, even though messes had definitely been made. The effort and motive behind it mattered most to her in this case.

A solitary tear trickled down her cheek and finally fell from her chin, down to the city streets below. Her throat felt hot and she swallowed, trying to keep her emotions at bay. Hunter was just beyond the balcony door, sleeping in their master bedroom.

She looked upwards, at the full moon. The name Selene meant "Goddess of the moon." Stephanie liked to think that that's where Selene would be; up on the moon watching over her.

"Thank you, Selene," she whispered out into the night.

Her vision began to blur and blacken but instead of it inciting panic, she allowed her mind to be freely taken over. She knew Selene meant no harm.

Selene blinked rapidly, getting used to the switch. It had been two weeks since she'd done that. She accepted that Stephanie could handle her own life now. Accepted that she would always be with her in some way. But instead of Selene's strength being separate from Stephanie, she'd be a part of her.

She pressed her lips together as she turned around and walked away from the balcony, silently entering the master bedroom. Her long legs - covered only by a pair of boyshorts - carried her over to the desk. She grabbed a pen and a piece of paper and tiptoed her way back outside.

Selene sniffled quietly, ignoring the tears that fell from her face and onto the table that was situated on the balcony.

After scribbling the short note, she left it where it was on the table. She exhaled deeply and let Stephanie come back.

Stephanie looked around, confused as to why she was standing by the table. A gust of wind blew and she saw the movement of the paper out of the corner of her eye.

Her forehead crinkled in confusion, but she picked up the note. She concentrated on the six words over and over again.

_You're welcome. Goodbye, Stephanie._

_Love Selene_

Stephanie drew her bottom lip in tightly, blinking her eyes rapidly. She walked to the edge of the balcony, grabbing the railing with her left hand.

With her right hand, she held the note to her heart tightly. Selene loved her. That made sense and was a conclusion that she'd already reached, but it was so powerful for her to admit it like this.

Contemplative blue eyes looked out at the skyscrapers, buildings, towers and bright lights of New York City. She looked at the people scrambling on the streets. Heard the sounds of the taxicabs, buses and train stations. The noise coming from the city that never slept.

It was so busy out here; so fast.

But somehow she'd never felt more at peace in her entire life.

Stephanie nodded solemnly, a tiny smile forming on her lips even as the warm tears traveled down her face. She loosened her grip on the note, allowing the wind to take it from her.

Her eyes stayed trained on it, watching the paper as it gracefully floated at various speeds and heights; sometimes simply swirling around in circles.

"You okay?" Came Hunter's deep, husky voice from right behind her.

Stephanie used her left hand to wipe at her eyes before she glanced over her shoulder at him. His hazel eyes were soft from tiredness and from concern about her. She smiled reassuringly and nodded to ease his worry before looking out over the balcony again.

"It's kinda cold out here," Hunter observed as the air hit his bare torso. "Come back to bed, baby." He suggested gently. He reached his hand out to her, beckoning her closer to him even though she wasn't looking yet.

Not responding at first, Stephanie squinted as the paper disappeared into the chaos of the city. With a low sigh, she turned around to face her husband again, placing her left hand inside of Hunter's outstretched one.

She walked with him slowly and comfortably until they reached the door leading into their bedroom. She released Hunter's hand, to let him go through first. He came to a stop next to the bed, waiting for her to join him.

Stephanie turned back, scanning the stars, sky and night for the note. For any signs of her angel. Her right hand was still touching her heart as she gripped the door with the other. Her eyes came to rest on the moon again.

"Goodbye, Selene," was the reply she finally whispered before she slid the door shut.


End file.
